SPICER OR SPOONER CEMETERY
HISTORY by Pauline Lillie
[Note: This cemetery was never known as the Spooner (Sponar) cemetery. The
Sponar family simply lived nearby when this information was gathered. -LKM]

Located
Iowa Township 80 Range 9, Section 1, off Hy. 6, north east of town of
Homestead. In the timber now behind the A. T. and T. Tower reached by
a narrow lane, at one time a road within the timber of the homesteaders
cabins.

History
In the 1881 history of Iowa County it is next to the oldest in the
township, the other bing Section 4, west of Homestead, or a half mile
from this one (Check that one for the Granny Sprague cemetery else--
where)

The Spicer cemetery is steeped deep in History of Iowa County, for this
area of Brush Run (now Homestead) west and south of Iowa River- Extend-
ed the earliest of settlers came along after the Old Indian Trading Post
up west near the river, the first point of survey. The Spicers, Spragues,
Niles and others came in the 1840s married into other families

First time I copied this cemetery in 1959 Newell Wrights stone stood
on a lot near the south end of the cemetery. Second time in 1971, it
had been moved about 600 feet north and up against a tree. a road was
being used for a gate put in behind the land owned by the A.T. and T.
Tower, and driving over the cemetery.

Evidently children of Wm. H. Spicer were the first buried in 1852 and
1853 William Spicer died at Iowa City October 12, 1889. Taken from the
death record book in Johnson County (of Cancer of the throat) addres Oxford
Mentions he was buried in the Spicer cemetery. Apparently no stone was
erected, or it may have been removed by some of the family later, from
the Peter Spicer Genealogy it gives his birth date as March 31, 1819
and his wife Delilah Sprague Spicer survived him only a short time.

Also buried here is a Patriot of War of 1812 that of Nathan Spicer (1796
1873) yet he has no recoganization, in fact joined others of abandonment.
One has only to check the atlas of 1874 and locate these names, as they
do not appear much later for the Amana Colonies bought up all their land
and they moved on.

There is a plat in Iowa County Book 40 page 103: We find also in a record
Book 42 page 343 January 24, 1883 that of William and Delilah to John Mc-
Coy plot SE¼, D lot # 24 5x16. The first time I heard of this cemetery was
from an Iowa Township resident who lived there; Of people buried without
stones, that Spooner came around trying to get people to do something in
way of up keep. After Spicers left, or died and Spooner purchased land
around the cemetery long before 1900. No one remembered the name of Spicer
and it was referred to as Spooner cemetery. As far as I know there are no
Spooners buried here.

History lists the Brush Run Settlements as wild and wooly; Pages 732
or the (Ia.Co.Hist 1881.) No creek or flow of water in Iowa County
has witnessed so many deed of love and hate, so many scenes of joy
or sorrow, so many drunken revels, and fights so many sucides and
murders. Brush Run the headquarters of drunkards and cut throats
News article appears on the death of old Luke Sherlock (buried here.)
who told on his death bed of a man coming to his house at night with
money to hide from robbers that the robbers did come in, kill and cut
him up, put the poor man in a hole they dug in his cellar. That his legs
had to be sawed to place in the hole. Upon investigation found true.

Again this land was surveyed- April 22, 1949 for the purpose of estab-
lishing near by an A.T.N.T. Tower; Recorded in Vol. 88, page 43 which
shows the cemetery and a schoolhouse. Is described in plat as commen-
cing of a cross in the pavement of the SW corner of the SE¼ of the SW¼
Section 1 Township 80 Range 9 West. Land to-day 1976 and then was owned
around by Bertina Smith with J. E. Spooner owning that adjoining west
line. Otherwise the Amana Society is the large owners.

Condition
Terrible: Now overgrown with small trees, and blackberries. A number of
nice stones, and one time little fence around Cook and Ellis. Some old
lilac fill spots, but in all it is considered abandoned. As far as I know
there are no plans of restoring it either.

Remarks
To forget these early settlers who done so much for Iowa County in the
beginning of its history, seem so unfair.


Researched by Pauline Lillie- Ladora