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Beecher Mausoleum
In 1913, a mausoleum, built for nearly 200 souls was built in the small farming town of Beecher, Illinois. It was to offer a burial alternative to in-ground burials.

The effort to build the Beecher Mausoleum, crafted from limestone and marble, is credited to early Beecher residents and businessmen, Henry Thielman and Arthur Struve.

The mausoleum is located just outside the Village of Beecher, in unincorporated Washington Township.

During its one-hundred years, the building has suffered neglect, weather damage, and vandalism. However, there are efforts are underway to preserve it and to provide protection for the entombed souls inside. That effort has been led by Sandra Thielman, the great granddaughter of Henry Thielman.

Upon returning to the building where the remains of several of her ancestors were buried--a place Sandra Thielman recalls visiting when she was a young child, Thielman was appalled at the building's condition. It bothered her so much that she set out to raise money and encourage others to help restore the building to its former condition. She established a not-for-profit corporation--the Guardian Angels Restoration Project.

One of the first methods of protection for the Beecher Mausoleum was to have it named a Will County Historic landmark by the Will County Historic Preservation Commission. That occurred in 1998.