Introduction
Along Chicago Road, where early settlers once built homes, gathered for worship, and sent their mail, there was also a place set aside for the dead.
Today, nothing marks it.
No stones. No fence. No visible trace.
But in 1879, a portion of this land was formally given for use as a cemetery, serving the small rural community known as Freeland.
A Burial Ground for the Community
On September 5, 1879, Bathsheba A. Hummel deeded one acre of land to DeKalb County for use as a burial ground for the Freeland neighborhood.
The legal description placed the cemetery along Chicago Road, in the same area where early homes, businesses, and the post office once stood. It was a deliberate act, setting aside land not for farming or settlement, but for remembrance.
The site was modest, but defined.
Later accounts describe a boundary marked by a stone wall and chain, enclosing the small burial ground and separating it from the surrounding fields.
A Short Life
Despite its formal establishment, the Freeland Cemetery appears to have been used only briefly.
Records and family accounts suggest that burials there were limited, possibly including members of the Hummel family, whose land and presence were central to the community.
Unlike larger rural cemeteries that grew over generations, Freeland’s burial ground remained small, closely tied to the families living nearby.
Removal and Closure
By the late 19th century, the community itself was changing.
As Freeland declined and nearby towns, particularly Sandwich, grew in importance, the cemetery was gradually abandoned.
In May of 1899, the Freeland Cemetery was officially closed.
Later accounts indicate that the remains were removed and reinterred, likely at established cemeteries in the area such as Oak Ridge Cemetery in Sandwich Township.
Following the removal of the burials, the land was returned to private use.
Disappearance
Once the graves were removed, the physical markers of the cemetery did not remain.
The enclosing stones were reportedly taken and reused, possibly in nearby walkways or structures. The ground itself was returned to agriculture.
Over time, even the memory of the exact location faded.
What had once been a defined place, marked by stone and purpose, became indistinguishable from the surrounding fields.
Standing There Today
There is no sign along the road.
No marker to indicate that this was once a place of burial for the Freeland community.
And yet, the record remains.
The deed, the accounts, and the memory of those who once knew the area all point to a small piece of land set aside for the dead, now absorbed back into the landscape.
Freeland’s cemetery did not disappear all at once.
It was closed, cleared, and returned to use, until nothing visible remained.
Continue The Story
- Freeland, Illinois: The Community Before Sandwich
- Freeland Post Office and Early Mail Routes
- Franks: An Early Settlement Along Somonauk Creek
- Early Churches of Freeland and Sandwich
Research & Sources
- DeKalb County land records (1879 Hummel deed)
- County proceedings regarding cemetery closure (1899)
- Sandwich Township historical accounts (Bud Burgin collection)
- Local plat maps and site descriptions