DODGE
Dodge Cemetery
Montpelier Twp, Section 17
Muscatine Co, Iowa
This cemetery is remote and difficult to access.  It is north of Wild Cat Den in the hills of what was the old Salek family farm.   The property is currently owned by Mike and Phyllis Aveson.  The plot is hidden in a small grove of trees, and most of the plots are badly sunken.  Mrs. Mae Fix Kemper who runs the store in New Era advises that a rumor about the cemetery emitting cries of children at 11 pm at night is probably based upon the fact that several small children were buried there.

The cemetery was, in early days, known as Dodge Hill.  The Dodge family were early settlers in the area.

My great uncle, Jake Brei, during an August 1998 visit,  produced family Bibles of the Brei and Metz families and showed me two notations of Metz children buried in this cemetery.

We had hoped to visit this cemetery while in the area, but could not do so due to lousy weather.  The listings below are from Musser Library records, WPA records and family bible records.


     Name                   Born           Died                 Notes                                                                             Contact/Source
Dodge, John                                26 Jan 1889   May have been the                                                         WPA/MPL
                                                                            father of a  number of                                                     WPA list says died age 75-5-1
                                                                            other Dodge markers.
                                                                            Epitaph from larger
                                                                            marker read:
                                                                            I go to rest with the setting sun
                                                                            But not to wake with the morning light
                                                                            So dearest children, a long goodnight

Fix, Mrs. John                            1882                                                                                                     WPA/MPL
Fix, John                                     05 Apr 1882                                                                                         WPA list says died age 69
Fix, Pamela                                 1881            died of diptheria    d/o John Fix                                      MPL

Metz, infant                                                child of George & Henrietta                                              Metz Bible
Metz, Maria                                                 dau of George & Henrietta                                              Metz Bible

There are supposed to be several other markers, including small children, which could not be read. WPA records do not list children under 10
so could not be used to verify any of these children burials.

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