Echoes from Riverside

Actors portray historic characters buried at Riverside Cemetery. Visitors walked along the cemetery roads, up hills and through patches of grass to listen to actors give voice to those from Moline's past

In its 12th year, Echoes from Riverside touched on the lives of some of the 40,000 people buried in the 60-acre cemetery. The actors wrote their own scripts and did the research on the people they portrayed.

 

Mrs. Gould, spoke of a life of dinners and clubs, of helping with local education programs. Her husband, Frank, was the son of a famous judge. Kay Krewer played the role of Mrs. Gould.

In 1908, Mrs. Gould's husband fell into financial dispair. He killed himself, and his widow moved to Massachusetts, where she died in 1936.

 

The late Robert K. Swan, played by Bill Hannan of Moline talked about Mr Swan's role as

chief operating officer of Moline Plow Co.over century ago.

 

Oscar Peal was a popular 19th century hotel and saloon-owner in Moline. He also spoke out strongly against a woman's temperance movement locally. He was a congenial man in the eyes of the public, and standing up against the women's temperance movement made him very popular. Oscar Peal was played by Dan Olson of Colona.

Pictures submitted by Mike Peal

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Illinois Ancestors