Jesse Howard is the president of the Burge Cemetery Board, so he is just the person to give an update on the state of Burge Cemetery post-tornado.

For background, Burge is the second largest cemetery in Henry County. Its name comes from Jacob and Rachel Burge who donated the land for the cemetery as a memorial to their family. The first burial was in 1843. Burge Cemetery is just over 20 acres and is home to nearly 3,300 loved ones.

The damage from the tornado, on April 16, was bad enough that Governor Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Henry County along with five other SE Iowa counties.

The cemetery board just received a generous $500 donation from the New London Lions. It is earmarked for trees. The tornado took out 21 trees. The loss truly changed the landscape of the cemetery. It looks pretty bare.

Another planned addition is a veterans’ memorial that will also be the home to a new 20-foot flag pole.

Memorials are now 45% GPS located making it easier and more convenient for visitors and family members to locate their loved ones. Howard hopes to be at 90% by the end of the year.

He listed the progress so far. So people don’t forget how much has been done, here's a quick update on the progress made in 4 1/2 months: Volunteers have successfully reset 344 headstones and removed 21 damaged/destroyed trees. Additionally, thanks to your support, a brand new shed was built that will serve as vital storage space for the cemetery’s tractor and equipment. Gutters were installed last week that drain into a 200 gallon water tank that provides essential water for the 6 trees planted this year, and the 10 that will be planted this fall. The plan is to plant 10 trees this fall, and then 10 more next year.

Over 24 monuments from the 1800’s have been cleaned and reset that had fallen over or settled beneath the ground, with well over 50 more to go. Forty headstones reset and cleaned from the 1800’s and early 1900’s that brought out their original beauty and look amazing!

The board continue to receive monetary donations which will help with building a new road in the north, and a new section to help with future expansion. Additionally, we have raised enough money now to go forward with building a veterans memorial which will be home to a beautiful new flag pole.

It is important to remember all the assistance received from the surrounding areas. It has been truly astounding. The following assisted in the restoration:

Mr. May and the NLHS Industrial Technology Class
Volunteer students from New London, Danville, and Winfield Mt. Union
The collective efforts of Allen and Colton Gugeler and Gugeller Cemetery Service, Burlington Wilbert Vault Works, Harrison Monuments, Jordan Whitney and Whitney Monuments, and Leyda, Burrus & Metz
Manpower from the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility
Exceptional Edge LLC for tree and stump removal
VFW Ladies Auxiliary for keeping the volunteers well fed
Merlin Burden for bringing his large excavator to help with some gigantic monuments and trees
Mt. Pleasant Hy-Vee, Shearer’s Warehouse, and Kathy Brumwell and Elliott Chapel who helped feed/refresh the volunteers
All the volunteers who gave their time and money ($25,000+ was donated)
Austin and Shelby Allen of Courtesy Door Sales & Service
Halo Design-Build For donating their time and expertise to rebuild the shed

Howard remarked, “We are extremely grateful for the continued support of restoring and maintaining our beautiful cemetery. We express our heartfelt gratitude to all the incredible volunteers and donors from southeast Iowa and beyond. Your kindness and dedication have made a lasting impact on our community.”

He continued, “As we move forward, we kindly ask you to keep Burge Cemetery in mind for future memorials or if you feel compelled to contribute to our ongoing mission. Your continued support will help us make Burge Cemetery the absolute best final resting place for our loved ones, while also preserving history since the founding of Burge Cemetery in 1838. Together, we will continue to restore, enhance, and preserve the beauty of Burge Cemetery.”

The beautiful Burge will continue to be a peaceful, tranquil resting place for loved ones and for those that remain to visit. It is comforting to know that Burge has had a new beginning.