The annual meeting of the West Aurora Cemetery Association will be held Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. at the Holmstad Town Center building in Batavia, at the corner of Route 31 and Fabyan Parkway (it is the only building with balconies).
Anyone interested in this unique, historic Cemetery is welcome to attend. The West Aurora Cemetery has been in existence since 1834. Originally known as the West Aurora Burying Ground, it was donated to the City of Aurora by Clark and Hannah Wilder in 1848. They lived to see their son, William Wallace Wilder, buried there. A Civil War veteran, his death was caused by the conditions he endured during his detention in the notorious Andersonville Prison.
Since its creation as a public cemetery, open to all, a diverse group of more than 3,900 people have been buried here. They include a number of Aurora’s pioneers, such as Theodore Lake, Clark Wilder, Rufus Root, Abel Downer, William Plum, and William Tanner, all of whom have local streets named after them. Others include Benjamin and Myron Hall who served respectively as the town’s first mayor and first newspaper owner; more than 160 Civil War veterans, including African Americans; and veterans who served in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish American War, World Wars I & II, Korea and Vienam wars.
In 1926, the West Aurora Cemetery Association was formed, taking over the ownership from the City of Aurora. A non-profit organization, the Association has voluntarily maintained the Cemetery for almost 100 years.
For more information, call 630-404-7338.
—West Aurora Cemetery Association