Skip to content
NOWCAST KSBW Action News 8 Midday
Watch on Demand
Advertisement

QR codes at this cemetery bring people's stories to life

QR codes at this cemetery bring people's stories to life
WOODLAND CEMETERY. EACH HEADSTONE IN A CEMETERY REPRESENTS A LEIF AND A STORY TBU SADLY MANY OF THOSE STORIES ARE BEING LOST IN TIME, BUT THERE’S SOMETHING NEW POPPING UP AT DES MOINES WOODLANDS CEMETER Y THAT’S BRINGING THOSE STORIES. BACK TO LIFE TSEHE MODERN-DAY QR CODES DOT DOZENS OF HISTORIC GRAVESITES ALL ACROSS WOODLDAN CEMETERY TELLING THE STORIES OF SOME OF DES MOINES EARLIEST RESIDENTS. I GOT REALLY TAKEN B HOW THE EARLY PIONEERS OF DES MOINES REALLYID D REFLECT WLDOR HISTORY THE MOBILE HISTORY TOUR IS THE BRAINCHILD OF CHRIINSTE BARTLETT WHAT I THOHTUG WAS GOING TO BE A PROJECT WITH MAYBE 35 40 STORIES BECAME 71 STORIES BARTLETT CREATED SHORT VIDEOS USING STORIES COLLECTED OVER THE YEARS BY IAOW HISTORIANS ARCE HICOOK AND MIKE ROWLEY AND WELL-DOCUMENTED STORIES FROM DESCENDANTSF O PEOPLE BURIED IN WOODLAND. NOT JUST ABOUT YOU KNOW, THE REMO WELL-KNOWN NAMES HEER IN DES MOINES, BUT LIKE PEOPLE THAT YOU DON’T KNOWO S MUCHIK LE PRESTON JACKSON A BLACK MAN BORN IN THE SLAVE STATE OF KENTUCKY. HE IS A VETERAN OF THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WARND A THE CIVIL WAR AND DELIA ANN WEBSTER IMPRISONED IN KENTUCKY BECAUSE SHE WAS HELPING SLAVES ESCAPE WHEN SHE GOT OUT OF PRISON. SHE CAME AND HELPED ESTABLISH THE UNDERGROUNDAILR ROAD HERE IN THE STATE OF IOWA MARK CHARINIA NARRATES HISNC AESTORS STORY IN THE WOODLAND HISTORY QUEST HE WAS KNOWN FOR SHI LIKE ADVOCACY AND IS BNGEI A STAUNCH ABOLITIONIST CHARLES NURSE. OUR STATE’S THIRD ATTORNEY GENERAL. HE WAS A YNGOU LAWYER WHO CAME FROM, KENTUCKY. AND BEGAN PRACTICING LAW HERE AND HELDPE ESTABLISH. WHAT WAS ULTIMATELY OUR LEGAL SYSTEM NSEUR WAS ALSO A DELEGATE TO THE 60 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION, THAT WAS THE CONVENTION THAT NOMINATED LINCOLN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE BURIED IN WOODLAND CEMETERY. BARTLETT SAYS PASSION PROJECT HAS BARELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE KNOWING SOME OF THE HISTORY WAS JUST LIKE THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN THIS NEEDS. PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THESE STORIES SHERINIAN AGRS.EE HE SAYS IT'’ IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WHERE WE CAME FROM. I’VE ALWAYS SAID WE STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER WHO TSEHO GIANTS A
Advertisement
QR codes at this cemetery bring people's stories to life
Technology is bringing history alive at an Iowa cemetery. Each headstone in a cemetery represents a life and a story. Sadly, many of those stories are being lost in time. But there's something new popping up in Des Moines' Woodland Cemetery that's bringing those stories back to life. Modern-day QR codes dot dozens of historic grave sites all across Woodland Cemetery telling the stories of some of Des Moines' earliest residents."I got really taken by how early pioneers of Des Moines really did reflect world history," said Kristen Bartley. Bartley was the creator of the mobile history tour."What I thought was going to be a project with maybe 35 to 40 stories became 71 stories," Bartley said.Bartley created short videos using stories collected over the years by Iowa historians Archie Cook and Mike Rowley, and well-documented stories from descendants of people buried in Woodland. "Not just about the more well-known names here in Des Moines, but about people you don't know so much," Bartley said.Like Preston Jackson, a Black man born into the slave state of Kentucky. He was a veteran of the Mexican-American war and the Civil War. Delia Ann Webster was imprisoned in Kentucky because she was helping enslaved people escape. "When she got out of prison, she came and helped establish the underground railroad here in the state of Iowa," Bartley said.Charles Nourse was Iowa's third attorney general."He was a young lawyer who came from Kentucky and began practicing law here and helped establish what is ultimately our legal system," said Mark Sherinian, a relative. Nourse was also a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention. "That was the convention that nominated Lincoln," Sherinian said. Thousands of people are buried in Woodland Cemetery. Bartley said her passion project has barely scratched the surface."Knowing some of the history it's like... this needs to happen," Bartley said. "People need to know these stories."Sherinian agrees and said it's important to remember where we come from. "I've always said we stand on the shoulders of giants... and we need to remember who those giants are," Sherinian said. It was funded by the Iowa Arts Council and Friends of Des Moines Parks. Bartley is working to secure more funding to continue the project because there are thousands of more stories to be told. You can watch some of the videos on the Des Moines Parks and Rec YouTube page.

Technology is bringing history alive at an Iowa cemetery.

Each headstone in a cemetery represents a life and a story. Sadly, many of those stories are being lost in time. But there's something new popping up in Des Moines' Woodland Cemetery that's bringing those stories back to life.

Advertisement

Modern-day QR codes dot dozens of historic grave sites all across Woodland Cemetery telling the stories of some of Des Moines' earliest residents.

"I got really taken by how early pioneers of Des Moines really did reflect world history," said Kristen Bartley.

Bartley was the creator of the mobile history tour.

"What I thought was going to be a project with maybe 35 to 40 stories became 71 stories," Bartley said.

Bartley created short videos using stories collected over the years by Iowa historians Archie Cook and Mike Rowley, and well-documented stories from descendants of people buried in Woodland.

"Not just about the more well-known names here in Des Moines, but about people you don't know so much," Bartley said.

Like Preston Jackson, a Black man born into the slave state of Kentucky. He was a veteran of the Mexican-American war and the Civil War.

Delia Ann Webster was imprisoned in Kentucky because she was helping enslaved people escape.

"When she got out of prison, she came and helped establish the underground railroad here in the state of Iowa," Bartley said.

Charles Nourse was Iowa's third attorney general.

"He was a young lawyer who came from Kentucky and began practicing law here and helped establish what is ultimately our legal system," said Mark Sherinian, a relative.

Nourse was also a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention.

"That was the convention that nominated Lincoln," Sherinian said.

Thousands of people are buried in Woodland Cemetery. Bartley said her passion project has barely scratched the surface.

"Knowing some of the history it's like... this needs to happen," Bartley said. "People need to know these stories."

Sherinian agrees and said it's important to remember where we come from.

"I've always said we stand on the shoulders of giants... and we need to remember who those giants are," Sherinian said.

It was funded by the Iowa Arts Council and Friends of Des Moines Parks.

Bartley is working to secure more funding to continue the project because there are thousands of more stories to be told. You can watch some of the videos on the Des Moines Parks and Rec YouTube page.