Mount Hope Cemetery

March 31st, 2015

Today's tour was a bit different from the buildings that we have looking at these past couple of months, for we weren't actually touring a building but instead a plot of land dedicated to the dead- the Mount Hope Cemetery. Because death and cemeteries aren't usually talked about, this experience was a new one for me. We started our tour at the Mausoleum where we saw where the wealthier families were buried and their urns were placed. From observing all of these family names, we were able to picture the rich history that Champaign-Urbana has to offer. As we moved through the Cemetery, we were able to see numerous grave stones and the system that they were separated by- whether it be by religion, ethnicity, or social status. Even the material of the gravestones served as another sign of social status or the time of their death. 

In addition to headstones denoting Catholics, Jews, and other religious burials/gravestones, there was a private area lot dedicated to veterans of the United States Military. On each of their headstones there were notes of where they served and any honors that they were granted. In contrast to the rest of the cemetery, these headstones had the feature where they were flush with the ground and easily blended in with the ground. 

The rest of the cemetery belonged to the wealthy prominent family names of Champaign-Urbana. Their headstones were much larger and some even had their own sectioned-off area with areas to sit. For example, the Atkins family headstones were very large and made of the finest materials. There were a section marked off by smaller stones and there was a large stone monument (a design similar to the Washington Monument) that was dedicated to the family name. This became a clear indication of the family's importance to the community and university.