ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager with a Request for the Following:
A. APPROVE a REAL ESTATE TRANSFER for 3917 SW ADAMS STREET, Peoria, IL, 61605; and,
B. APPROVE an INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT Between with City of Peoria, PLEASURE DRIVEWAY, and PEORIA PARK DISTRICT.
Body
BACKGROUND:
The site of 3917 SW Adams Street, located at the corner of Griswold and Adams Streets, is currently owned by the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers Local #69. This parcel was part of a larger tract of land in the 3900 block of South Adams Street that was acquired by Aquila Moffatt in 1836 and became known as Moffatt's Cemetery. Between 1874 and 1905 approximately 2,733 persons were buried in the cemetery. In 1905, Dr. Elmer Eckard of the Peoria City Board of Health ordered the closure, and the site became abandoned. Records show that in the 1950s, many monuments were sold or crushed. Residents of the area noted that the site was cleared of brush and trees and bulldozed as the site was prepared for commercial development and street expansions. Around 100 individuals were transferred to other cemeteries from 1887-1936, including nine members of the Moffatt family. However, approximately 2,600 Peoria residents remain on the site, including 52 Civil War veterans and Nance Legins-Costley, the first enslaved person that Abraham Lincoln helped free when he won her case before the Illinois Supreme Court in 1841.
A group of volunteers, led by Bob Hoffer, created the Peoria Freedom & Remembrance Memorial to establish a "fitting tribute to these forgotten citizens of Peoria, Illinois." Their campaign has resulted in recognition from the Abraham Lincoln Association, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, and the Illinois State Historical Society. Mr. Hoffer has given multiple interviews and has received support from all over the United States for this project. Many of the parcels in the 3900 block of SW Adams are owned by commerc...
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