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Washington Junior High School, Rock Island, Illinois
Teacher: Carolyn Tacey
Chippiannock Cemetery is located on 12th Street and 31st Avenue in Rock Island, Illinois. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Rock Island. The word "Chippiannock" is a Native American term which means "place of the dead". Every year the cemetery has a program called "Epitaphs Brought to Life." People dress up in costumes and play the roles of the famous people of the Quad Cities who are buried there. One of our classmates, Jay, played a little boy named Eddie Dimick who died of diphtheria. The tombstone of the Dimick's is a chair and a dog because the dog came there every day after the children died.
You can see many different statues that represent the deceased. Different tombstones fill the cemetery with all kinds of shapes. Some of the statues are anchors,anvils, and chairs. There are about four different kinds of anchors. There are also tree trunks and baby carriages. One tombstone is a huge ball. It looked like a big ball of smooth glass. It seems every tombstone has a story. When you touch the tombstones they are hard and cold. Nevertheless, they are still a piece of art work. Some are smooth like the ball. Some are rough like the logs and anchors. Many of the headstones had flowers. People also left things as a memory to the deceased such as cards and notes.
While walking through the cemetery you can hear the birds chirping and people walking through the fallen leaves. The leaves crunch as you walk through the newly mowed grass. When walking through the many rows of tombstones, you may see a fallen tree or wild flowers under a beautiful rose bush. When you stand still it is so peaceful that you can hear the birds chirping. Some of us sat in the soft grass, taking in the fresh air. You can also see a lot of wildlife. You can see birds and squirrels. We hoped to see a fox or a deer, but didn't. Sometimes it is so quiet that you can hear the running water of the stream. The sky makes everything just gleam and we could see almost everything that the people had left. The running water of the stream and the chirping of the birds makes everything so relaxing.
There is a fresh smell in the air; a smell of peace. For example, you can smell
sweet flowers or newly cut grass or the evergreen smell from the pine trees. Smoky
leaves burning or the smell of exhaust are not great smelling smells. So when
you smell them, it really ruins the atmosphere. Chippiannock Cemetery is a very beautiful
place to visit. Seeing the many different stones which tell stories of the
deceased's' lives is very interesting, while the sounds of the wildlife are very peaceful.
Mrs. Tacey's 5th Period Communications Class
Deanna, Kim, Jackie, Brandon, Yasheika, Justin, Ashley, Ashly, Whitni,
Megan, Zach, Irene, Tameka, Ryan, Shalyn, India, Phillip, Michael, Lisa,
Priscilla, Steven, Matt, Jay, Angela, Zack, Vanessa, Tye, Chris
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