Moline cemetery has hidden past

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By John Willard | Tuesday, September 26, 2006 8:01 PM CDT | () comments

Kevin E. Schmidt/QUAD-CITY TIMES Willis Oldefest points to the upper portion of the Riverside Cemetery in Moline where his great-uncle found dynamite stashed inside a tombstone in 1902.

Harry Oldefest was a curious boy who could not resist examining the old monument he came upon at Riverside Cemetery in Moline more than a century ago. Young Harry, the son of cemetery sexton George Oldefest, loosened the thumb screws that held a nameplate on the monument. Once the nameplate was off, he found a drill, hacksaw, wrench and other tools hidden inside.

What the boy had discovered was a cache of burglary tools.

The story, reported in the July 31, 1902, issue of the Moline Dispatch, is part of the colorful past of Riverside Cemetery, 2900 6th Ave., Moline.

That history can be experienced firsthand at the 11th annual Echoes From Riverside cemetery walk from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, with the last tour leaving at 3 p.m. The walk celebrates the lives of nine Moline residents, who will be portrayed by actors in costume. Those honored include a prominent butcher, a Rock Island Lines engineer, a harness maker and a dress maker.

This year’s walk explores Riverside’s older, lower portion where burials began in 1851. That is the area where young Harry Oldefest made his startling find in 1902 while helping his father.

The incident led to an even more dramatic discovery in a tombstone in the cemetery’s upper portion.

The wheels were set in motion after Harry Oldefest told his father of the tools he had found inside the hollow cast-iron shaft in the lower cemetery. George Oldefest paid little attention to his son’s story but later investigated the claim.

Sure enough, the tools were there.

George Oldefest remembered a similar marker in the upper portion of the cemetery and decided to check it out.

He was amazed at what he found.

Concealed in the hollow shaft were 100 sticks of dynamite, several feet of fuse wire, turpentine and oil, among other materials.

The senior Oldefest reported his findings to the chief of police. Based on the date of a newspaper that some of the tools were wrapped in, the chief figured the tools had been hidden for 16 months.

Why were the tools there?

In reporting the story, the Dispatch suggested a gang of robbers might have had intentions on some bank or other place in town “or was the monument used as headquarters for a gang of burglars who had selected this place on account of its proximity to Natick yard, where they could easily go out and come in on trains.”

The newspaper article was found by Kathleen Seusy, a volunteer with the Rock Island County Historical Society and director of the Riverside Cemetery walks. She has been unable to identify which marker in the lower cemetery concealed the burglary tools.

“There are two white bronze monuments, both now have panels missing,” she said. “I suspect the larger of the two, but that is just my opinion.”

During her research, she learned that Harry Oldefest has a surviving nephew, Willis Oldefest, 80, of Milan, Ill.

Willis Oldefest was delighted to learn of his uncle’s adventures so many years ago. The youngest of George Oldefest’s four children, Harry became a time keeper at the Farmall plant in Rock Island and once was a test driver for Velie Motor Vehicle Co., Moline, Willis said.

“He was a wonderful man,” he said. “I really enjoyed him. He was my favorite uncle.”

John Willard can be contacted at (563) 383-2314 or jwillard@qctimes.com.

Findings

Items found inside headstones in 1902 at the Riverside Cemetery in Moline: Drill, Hacksaw, Wrench, Dynamite, Fuse wire, Oil, Turpentine, Other tools

If you go

What: 11th annual Echoes from Riverside cemetery walk.

Where: Riverside Cemetery, 2900 6th Ave., Moline.

When: 1-4 p.m. Saturday, with last tour leaving at 3 p.m. Guided tours start from Riverside Mausoleum and take about 1½ hours.

How much: $3 for adults, children under 12 free.

Information: Todd Slater, cemetery supervisor, (309)797-0790, or Kathleen Seusy, walk director, (309) 797-2333.