11. Pekin Civil War Memorial
Site Coordinates: N 40˚35'18.4" W 89˚38'32.4"
Your Clue: "There are 47 similar headstones at this memorial but one is a slightly different color than the rest. The soldier who is buried here has two double letters in both his first and last names. The letter that repeats is the letter you need for the puzzle."
These informational sites along with 10 cache sites placed around Pekin will provide letters or numbers you'll need to unscramble a prominent name and important year in Pekin's history. Once you've unscrambled the name and year, submit your answer to be entered into a drawing for a one-of-a-kind, locally 3-D printed "flat" Everett, $50 in Chamber checks & some official Pekin swag!
Please be courteous and respectful of your surroundings! We hope you enjoy this historic tour of Pekin & participate in other events throughout 2024 to celebrate this milestone.
If you have any questions, please email us at pekinhistoricadventurequest@gmail.com.
A Bit of History...
Civil War Veterans Memorial
The Civil War Soldiers Memorial in Lakeside Cemetery was dedicated on Memorial Day, 30 May 1905. The inscription on the monument says, "In memory of our soldiers of Pekin, Illinois. Erected by W.R.C. #236." The Women's Relief Corps #236 used to meet on the second and fourth Friday afternoons at the former Grand Army of the Republic Hall, 616 Court Street. GAR and WRC Civil War artifacts were committed to the care of the Tazewell County Board and formerly were displayed in a small museum call "Historical Hall" in the Tazewell County Courthouse.
54 soldiers are interred at the Civil War memorial, although only 48 grave plots are marked or visible, and only 23 of the soldiers buried at the memorial were Civil War soldiers -- the remainder were Spanish-American War or World War I veterans rather than Civil War soldiers. A remarkable feature of the Civil War memorial is that the five rows of headstones are all arranged so that a visitor must face east in order to read their inscriptions. Likewise, the statue of the soldier who is standing guard over their graves is also facing east. This is in keeping with ancient Christian beliefs and burial customs in which the remains of the deceased are laid with the feet facing east in anticipation of the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. At the resurrection, Christ is expected to return coming as a light from the east, so the dead are buried in a way so that they can readily sit up and stand to see Jesus approaching. The soldier standing guard faces east so he can spot the light of the return of Christ and then quickly awaken his comrades.
