Linn Grove Cemetery in rural Martelle has a close connection to the Stewart family. Seven generations of Stewarts are buried in the cemetery, including Mike Stewart’s great-great-grandmother and grandfather who came to Iowa in the 1800s.
For Mike, it’s always been a tradition to come with his family and decorate the graves of those who had passed on before, and conclude with a family picnic, which usually coincides with Memorial Day.
This year, Jacob Stewart and Mike took part in a project to spruce up Linn Grove Cemetery and honor many veterans who are buried there, with the installation of new flag poles.
“There are just a lot of people who are buried here, many of whom we know, that should be remembered for their service to this country,” Jacob, a student at Mount Vernon Middle School said. “It was just an idea that came to me that we could put up some new flag poles to honor these veterans and people here.”
Jacob was completing the project as a citizenship project for 4-H, as he is a member of the Trailblazers 4-H Club in Mount Vernon.
The duo got the blessing of the Linn Grove Trustees for the improvements proposed for the cemetery, and then went to work measuring the grounds and planning where the new flag poles should sit. That took a couple weekends this spring to complete.
The weekend before Memorial Day, the weather was nice enough for Matt Francis to come out and bore the holes for where the flag poles would be placed. Springville Redi-Mix was next, donating the concrete for the bases of the flag poles as part of this project. The Howard Hahn American Legion Post in Mount Vernon donated the American flags to be flown in the cemetery. Mike is a member of the post and told them of the plans.
The Stewart family picnic was a week earlier with the work happening at Linn Grove Cemetery, as it worked better in every one’s schedule to be there also assisting and getting those graves ready for that Memorial Day holiday a week earlier.
On Thursday, May 23, Mike and Jacob raised those flags for the first time in a limited window they had – Jacob with a rescheduled middle school concert, and Mike with a tractor in needs of repairs.
The duo said that as well as helping to honor the place that means so much to their family and other citizens and neighbors of Linn Grove, the best part of this project has been getting to spend time with one another and other family as they’ve completed this project as well.
“We’ve spent a lot of time here over the years, and it makes me feel great to have this completed,” Jacob said. “But spending time with my grandpas has been the best part of this project.”