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The Lost Nation Cemetery Established 1867
Continuing to serve the needs of families today.
Contact person: Madge White, 563-678-2613
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Driveway Finished
The new north/south driveway in the Lost Nation Cemetery was finished in time for the 2011 Memorial Day Services held on Monday, May 30.
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Above: Jerry Dake and his crew started preparing the roadbed for a new 10' cement driveway through the cemetery on Tuesday, May 17.
Left: The cement was also laid for about half of the driveway.
The Lost Nation Cemetery Association began a special funding drive in 2008 to raise money to cement the grass north/south drive in the cemetery. The Cemetery Board of Directors thought this project was necessary to keep vehicles off gravesites and to facilitate snow removal in the winter. Through generous contributions from families whose loved ones are interred in the cemetery, the project has now begun.
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| Lost Nation and the Civil War
April marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. The state of Iowa played a role during the War in providing food, supplies, and troops for the Union army. As the Civil War erupted, Governor Samuel Kirkwood led efforts to raise and equip volunteer troops. Iowa furnished 48 infantry regiments, 9 cavalry regiments, 4 batteries of artillery, one black regiment and a thousand replacement troops. By the end of the war in 1865, 76,534 Iowa men had served in the Union army. In relation to its population, Iowa sent more soldiers than any other state. A total of 13,169 men died during the war. More Iowa soldiers died from disease than were killed in combat.
Lost Nation has 16 Civil War veterans buried in our local cemetery. Their graves are marked with a GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) star planted near their tombstone. Their names are: Isaac Kamrar, Salem Wade, Dwight Comstock, J.L. Hovey, C. Herkelmann, J. Nichol, Saul Kamrar, Ben Monroe, Peter Ahrens, Friederich Schoff, William Frazier, N.C. Blocker, Joseph Stutsman, Gerhard Timmerman, John Dramer, & Christ N. Mohl.
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| Iowa’s soldiers first saw combat in Arkansas. Many units accompanied General Ulysses Grant in his campaign to get control of the Mississippi River. Thousands of Iowans took part in General William Sherman’s famous “March to the Sea” through Georgia and South Carolina. Twenty-seven Congressional Medals of Honor were presented for their efforts in the fighting.
Iowa gained fame for a unique military unit known as the Graybeard Regiment. The unit was composed of men too old to serve in combat (over 45). Nearly all were over 50. The elderly men were given duties to escort trains and guard railroads and prisoners. Iowa was the only state to have a Graybeard Regiment.
Information & photos by Sandra Brady (aka Lois Lane). Thanks!
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The Past . . .
In 1867, John Noble sold two acres of land for $10 to the Sharon Township Trustees for what is now a part of the Lost Nation Cemetery. Some of the oldest graves are those of Long, 1852; Wade, Bennet, Zook, 1856; and Gilner, 1859. These may have been moved from the little cemetery east of town.
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In 2000 the Lost Nation Cemetery Association Board discovered that although it was registered as a Perpetual Care Cemetery with the State of Iowa, the Association did not have the required minimum amount of cash assets in a perpetual care fund. This is a type of fund where only the interest from that fund can be spent on expenses.
By 2003 the Association was still living hand-to-mouth, operational costs were rising, and yearly expenses were still being paid monthly by outside financial support. There were no funds for needed and long overdue improvements to the Cemetery.
In 2004, with Cemetery maintenance costs rising and 75% of the cemetery's expenses paid by outside organizations, the Cemetery Board saw the need to grow the Perpetual Care fund to a level that would provide real perpetual care for the Cemetery. Thus a five-year fund-raising plan was established.
The Present . . .
The present balance of the Perpetual Care Fund is still significantly below the five-year fund-raising goal set by the Board. By Iowa law, only the income generated from this fund can be used for the upkeep and maintenance of the Cemetery. Much work is yet to be done including permanent hard-surfaced driveways within the Cemetery, repairing & preservation of deteriorating grave markers when no family members can be found, and annual maintenance costs not covered by the Perpetual Care Fund income.
The Future . . .
You can help us reach toward financial independence in one of the following ways:
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- single one-time contributions
- annuity programs
- bequests by will, lump sum, or percentage
- memorial gifts in someone's name
- memorials in the name of family members
- gifts for grave marker repair & preservation
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Repair & preservation of deteriorating grave markers where no family member can be found
is a high priority item
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Purchasing Lost Nation
Cemetery Lots
Lot Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $305
To purchase a Cemetery lot, please contact:
Madge White, Secretary
P.O. Box 293
Lost Nation, IA 52254
Phone: 563-678-2613
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Dates for Caretakers to Remember
April 1 and October 1
Family caretakers are encouraged to remove all decorations from gravesites by April 1 & October 1. Following these dates, a cemetery clean-up day will be scheduled by the Cemetery Board of Directors.
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| A Veteran's Memorial was erected in the Lost Nation Cemetery where 100 community area veterans have been laid to rest. |
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Memorial Day Services are held at the Lost Nation Cemetery every year.
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| The Lost Nation Cemetery Newsletters for 2011 will be mailed to caretakers in May. If you do not receive one and would like a copy, please call Madge White, Secretary, at 563-678-2613 or drop her a note at: P.O. Box 293, Lost Nation, IA 52254 |
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