Tomlinson Cemetery

This pioneer cemetery not only contains the history of many area families, but cemeteries like this one are some of the few remaining pieces of remnant prairie that exist in the state of Illinois. Tomlinson Cemetery tells a cultural and natural story that is unlike any other in Champaign County

Tomlinson Cemetery contains over 200 graves dating as far back as the mid 1800s and reaching into the early-to-mid 1900s. Buried within the cemetery are individuals from over 80 different central Illinois families and serves as an example of a "pioneer cemetery." A large amount of research on the cemetery and the graves within it was completed by Elizabeth Hanson beginning in the 1980s. Hanson discovered that she had relatives buried at Tomlinson Cemetery while conducting genealogical research. Following a visit to the cemetery, she and her husband, Alfred O. Hanson, undertook the task caring for the cemetery and protecting its remnant prairie. Hanson advocated for the cemetery to become an Illinois Nature Preserve and for Champaign County to add the cemetery to the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. Both efforts were successful and the hard work of Elizabeth and her husband, Al, helped to preserve this precious piece of central Illinois cultural and natural history.

The largely untouched remnant prairie serves as some of the best examples of Black soil prairie remnants remaining in a original, natural condition. Some of the plants and species that grow in cemetery prairies may not be found anywhere else in the wild. Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, prairie enthusiasts began to ask cemetery associations to stop mowing these areas to help protect their existence and many were successful. There are nearly 30 cemetery prairies across the state of Illinois, including Tomlinson Cemetery. Of the original 22 million acres of tallgrass prairie that once existed across the state Illinois, only 2,200 acres of original prairie remains and cemetery prairies make up a significant chunk of the remainder.

Since it is recognized as an Illinois Nature Preserve by the state's Department of Natural Resources, everything inside the cemetery is protected by law. To keep up the certification, CCFPD Natural Resources staff regularly conduct prescribed burning in the cemetery. Prescribed burning is a management practice that keeps invasive brush from taking over. Burning this prairie does not cause harm to the grave markers and will help CCFPD's Citizens Advisory Committee document the cultural resources at the site. Photos and video of a burn in 2020 are included in this entry and can be found below.

Champaign County Forest Preserve District, Master Plan, 2010.

Champaign County Forest Preserve District, “Yesterday we had a chance to burn one of the few original remnant prairie/savanna sites in Champaign County,” March, 18, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/CCFPD/photos/a.10156782022164789/10160302175709789/. 

Elisabeth Hanson - Tomlinson Cemetery Archive, Museum of the Grand Prairie, Mahomet, IL, 1975-2012.

Muehling, Carrie, “Cemetery Prairies Preserve Horticulture,” Illinois Farm Bureau Partners, August 27, 2019 https://www.ilfbpartners.com/farm/cemetery-prairies-preserve-the-states-horticultural-history/.

“Tomlinson Pioneer Cemetery Prairie,” State of Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Accessed April 7, 2022. https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/INPC/Pages/Area6ChampaignTomlinsonPioneerCemeteryPrairie.aspx.