West Cemetery Hopes to "Unearth" Old Graves
3/24/2026
WEST CEMETERY HOPES TO “UNEARTH” OLD GRAVES
GPR Survey Will Help Identify Unmarked Burials
Athens, Illinois
March 23, 2026
Within the next few weeks, Sentry Mapping Services will complete a GPR survey of West/Old West/Abner Hall Cemetery in Athens, IL. GPR (ground penetrating radar) surveying is a non-destructive method of mapping that uses high frequency radio waves to construct images of what lies below the ground’s surface. It can detect buried objects (like headstones) or changes in the soil (such as the empty/disturbed space left from a burial). A scaled Global Positioning System (GPS) rendering of each section, including existing landmarks and burial markers, will also be collected. The company will then create a map of the cemetery that includes what is visible above ground and what has been located below ground.
West/Old West/Abner Hall Cemetery has been an active burial ground since before the Civil War. Donated and designated as a cemetery by Abner Hall in 1843, it is the final resting place of many Athens pioneers. A book of West Cemetery burials compiled by Jeanne Weaver states, “the cemetery was given as a free burial ground to the community.” As a result, many burials are unmarked. Even though burials were free, monuments were costly. Over the years, records of the burials (and many headstones) have been lost to time. This GPR survey will help locate both and is the first step in addressing the neglected needs of the cemetery.
Additional steps the cemetery board hopes to complete before the 2031 Athens bicentennial include:
* Creating a complete interment record by combining GPS/GPR maps with existing historical publications (primarily The History of Menard County Through Its Cemeteries: West Cemetery
and Menard County, Illinois, Cemeteries)
* Locating and repairing/resetting headstones
* Placing row markers
* Creating a dedicated cemetery page on the city’s website
* Compiling a supplement to The History of Menard County Through Its Cemeteries: West Cemetery
Inquiries can be directed to Rachel Lantz (rlantz@athensil.gov), or you can contact Athens City Hall at (217) 636-8429.