On the northeast corner of the 25-acre site sits the old Lincoln State School Cemetery, a burial ground for former residents of the nearby Lincoln Developmental Center (LDC), which closed in 2002. The disbanded facility was a residential state school for people with developmental disabilities.
The large gravesite contains the remains of approximately 2,130 LDC residents who passed while in state custody over the institution’s 125-year history.
A House resolution sponsored by state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, asks the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to develop guidelines for visiting a cemetery located on the grounds of the center.
The IDOC inherited responsibility for the cemetery after former Gov. George Ryan ordered the LDC’s closure following decades of reported abuse, neglect, and preventable deaths. It’s a history that has followed the former LDC since its founding in 1877 as the Illinois Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children.
Dave Bakke, a historian, author, and former staff writer at The State Journal-Register, described the conditions of the former LDC in sobering detail.
“Conditions at the Lincoln State School were horrible; overcrowded and understaffed,” Bakke wrote in a 2016 article. “It was a community unto itself. The deaths of residents were not investigated, and their bodies were buried on the grounds.”
Bakke’s article blamed unsanitary conditions and understaffed management for several deaths related to the facility.
Investigations by the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and state police further detail the multitude of distressing cases surrounding the former LDC right up to its closure.
A covert investigation in 1993 led to the dismissal of 11 staff members and the conviction of another for the aggravated sexual assault of a resident.
In 1995, an LDC resident left unattended in the city of Lincoln was found drowned in a community pool.
In 1998, a resident restrained for over 30 minutes by staff died after choking on his own vomit.
In 2001, a resident who was denied access to a bathroom was forced to lick and mop up her urine with her clothing.
These incidents are among the several documented cases that led to the site’s decertification and closure, a significant economic blow to the city of Lincoln.
Estimates place the number of jobs the community lost between 428 and 700. For many, the consequences of the LDC’s closure remain a tender, unresolved issue.
The site of the Lincoln Developmental Center has sat unused since 2002. The buildings on the 114-acre campus exhibit decades of disuse and neglect.
“Nothing has happened with it,” said Lincoln resident Lynn Logan. “It’s unfortunate. I feel like they needed reform back then, but they closed everything and then left it to rot."
Future development of the site is planned. However, its ultimate future remains uncertain.
The Surplus to Success program, launched by the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, includes funds to demolish the site’s deteriorating buildings.
A total of $300 million will be allocated to the redevelopment of five state-owned properties, including the former Lincoln Developmental Center.
A new juvenile justice facility, known as the Monarch Youth Center, has already been constructed on a portion of the old LDC grounds. The facility is expected to bring nearly 100 jobs to the Lincoln area.
As for what will occupy the rest of the site, a multitude of ideas have been discussed. The construction of tiny homes for military veterans was an idea advanced by Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch, who also serves on the Central Illinois Veterans Commission board.
A distribution center for the electric car manufacturer Rivian was also in discussion for the site, adding potential for jobs and innovation in the region. In recent years, the prison has expanded its grounds, complicating access to the cemetery.
Security concerns have made it difficult or outright impossible for families and researchers to gain access. Under the resolution, further development of the prison by the IDOC would require consideration of the cemetery and access to it.
“Families need access to the places where their loved ones have been laid to rest so they can honor and celebrate their lives,” Stuart said.
Stuart also explained IDOC’s lack of procedure for cemetery access has left families and friends of the interred to “wrangle” with on-site prison officials.
“It’s time for members of the public to have reasonable access to Lincoln Developmental Center Cemetery without undue hassle or runaround,” said Stuart.
Heather Megginson is the executive secretary at the Lincoln Correctional Center. She said inquiries about the cemetery are sparse.
“There are no inquiries on cemetery visits,” said Megginson. “It’s very rare. It’s very rare that anyone’s inquiring to come here.”
Megginson also suggested that over a period of five years, only two families have come to pay their respects.
Amanda Elliot, Illinois’ First Assistant Deputy Governor for Budget and Operations, raised skepticism over the resolution’s future
“It’s not going to happen because it’s dangerous,” said Elliot, citing the resolution’s potential risk to prison security.
As of July 1, the resolution has been re-referred to the House Rules Committee, which assigns legislation for hearings. So far, no further action has occurred
