The Village Cemetary in Old Town Glen Carbon is the primary burial ground for many of the Miner workers and families who once worked in the Village. It is located at the intersection of Guy and Center Streets. The original idea of having a Village burial ground was first discussed in 1894. Finally in In 1901 the Village purchased 2 acres. Up until then burials were in cemetaries located in neighboring cities. The first burial in the Glen Carbon Cemetary was a baby, William J. Williams in 1902. The cemetary was purchased in three sections. The first, Section A, is located to the right of the entrance gates and was purchased from Wm. Bosomworth. Section B, at the top of the hill, was purchased from Dominick Pizzini in 1937. Section C, the newest section, was purchased in 1970 and extends to the left of the gate. The graves run north and south perpendicular to the main roadway which runs west from the gate and circles the cemetary.

Early burial permits show a high mortality rate among infants. Of forty-one permits examined, twenty were infants less than one year of age, and eight were children from one to six years old.

Section A
Section A begins with one single row (Row A) of graves running perpendicular to the main roadway. The next two rows are double rows and then two rows with single graves. These two single rows represent a major division within the cemetary. They extend south into Section C across the main roadway into Section C. All graves within the cemetary are listed in groups of four with letter designations A through Z. The last row in Section A is a single row at the bottom of the hill west of the main roadway.

Coal Miners Row
Section A has a row of graves known as "Coal Miner's Row". Research of one of the graves there reveals an interesting story. Michele (Mike) Berala was born in Italy in 1879. He died January 16, 1909. It was first thought that Berala died in a coal mining accident, however with more research it was found that he had a more tragic experience. A catastrophic earthquake struck southern Italy and Sicily in late December 1908 in which 300,000 people had been killed. Mike Berala received a letter from Italy a day or two before his death which told him that his parents, his sweetheart, and other loved ones were among the victims. The poor man was so devestated by this news that he shot himself to the left side of his head.

People's Lives in Stone
Suicides, automobile accidents, and pedestrians being hit by trains occurred throughout the history of the Village. One evening in 1940 a train-car accident is still remembered by some Villagers today.

On a May evening that year, many of the people in the Village were on their porches enjoying the spring when a loud crash was heard. People who live in the Village now that were home that evening can tell you where they were when tragedy hit the Flannery's. Husband (John) and wife (Mildred) and their two children Lois and Harvey were struck by a train at the Wayside Railroad Crossing. To add to the tragedy, the next year another son died from a train/bicycle accident. the graves are in Section A.

WWI Statue
A World War I statue located in Section A is a memorial to two men who fought in The Great War. Buried at the Memorial are Harry G. Seaton and Emil Trentaz.

Memorial Garden
During July, 2000 the Village Board of Trustees approved the design and installation of a Memorial Garden near the entrance to the Village Cemetery. The Memorial Garden has a fountain with a seating area, along with adjacent landscaping and a walkway. This project was designed and installed by Noll & Associates from the Garden Kingdom. (see picture above)