Union Cemetery Road Improvement

Panama, Illinois - Union Cemetery Improvements


Union Cemetery road needs improved. The cost of maintaining the current oil and rock road is approximately $4000 every three to four years. We would like to asphalt the road and create a small parking area – the cost to do this is about $24,000.  Illinois Paving of Litchfield, IL has agreed to do the work and has graciously offered to do the work at a discount that will bring the total cost down to approximately $15,000.  

Panama Union Cemetery is much more than a cemetery – it's quiet and picturesque with a view of a flowing meadow, a pond and adjoining forest. Many local residents use it much like a park for their daily walks and to just take in the wildlife and scenery.



The cost of maintaining a cemetery in a small community is a difficult task to manage. Cemetery regulations require that an amount from each grave plot sold is placed into what is called “Perpetual Care”. The funds in Perpetual Care must not be withdrawn, only the interest from the fund may be used for maintenance. This creates a problem for a small cemetery such as ours and many other small communities as the interest just isn't enough to cover the cost of maintenance and certainly not enough to undertake many building or improvement projects. Those type projects come from private donors.

Here are some examples of past projects funded by private donations and/or fund raisers:


-- The Coal Miner Memorial was installed at Union Cemetery to honor the eleven miners killed in the 1915 mine explosion.
-- Small Pavilion and picnic tables
-- Benches / Trees
-- Vinyl Fencing installed on north border



Will you help us? There are three level of donations that will give you, your family or your business name a place on the dedication plaque that will be mounted at the Cemetery gate once the project is completed. There are three levels – Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

Gold Level - $150+
Silver Level: $100 - $149
Bronze Level: $50 - $99

Please state how your name is to appear on the plaque if you choose a bronze, silver, or gold level donation.
Example:  'John Jones', 'Mr. & Mrs. John Jones' or 'The Jones Family'

Donations may also be left at the Nu-Way Deli in Panama or may be mailed to:

Union Cemetery
c/o Scot Kampmann
PO Box 760
Panama, IL  62077

Of course any donation no matter how big or small will be greatly appreciated! Thank You!

Feel free to read on for a short history of our tiny town.

A Short History of Panama

Panama, Illinois  is a small village (population 353 in the 2010 census) in south-central Illinois about 50 miles north-east of St. Louis, Missouri. Panama was founded in 1906 when the Shoal Creek Coal Company of Chicago sank its first coal mine shaft. The small village grew quickly with the mine attracting many European immigrants and in its hay-day was a bustling town of more than 1200.

Panama is proud of its mining heritage and to have American labor organizer, John L. Lewis , as part of its legacy.  Lewis moved to Panama in 1909 to work in the mine and was elected President of the local United Mine Workers union.   Allen H. Kieth described Lewis in a short biography as “a one-man - and apparently quite effective - grievance committee”.   One of the most prolific labor advocates of the twentieth century, Lewis was influential in the American Federation of Labor (AFL) serving as a delegate to the national AFL convention and later founding President of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). Lewis was elected President of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA ) where he fought vehemently to stabilize the mining industry while guaranteeing workers rights from 1920-1960.

On April 5, 1915, an explosion occurred in the Shoal Creek Coal Company's mine which resulted in the death of eleven men. The mine company, who owned much of the real estate at that time, donated twelve acres to the town to be used as a cemetery.  Six of the eleven men were interred in the middle of what is now Panama Union Cemetery in unmarked graves.   Although the mine eventually closed in 1937, the now small Village of Panama is proud of its mining heritage.

Today, Panama is a close-knit community, a place where many of its residents feel like family. Panama is a tiny village but still boasts a Post Office, Fire Department, a VFW Post, a tavern, a deli and two churches.