The Elmwood Cemetery Gates mark the east and north entrances to the Elmwood Cemetery in

Sycamore, Illinois Sycamore is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. It has a commercial district based and centered on Illinois Route 64. The population was 18577 at the 2020 census, up from 17,519 at the 2010 census. Sycamore is the county seat of De ...

. The

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

gates were likely built in 1865, the year the cemetery opened and the one emblazoned on the gates, though records of their construction have been lost. While cast iron was commonly used for building facades at the time, the gates are a rare example of its use in

landscape architecture Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...

. The gates have a Serlian design with a wide central road entry and narrower pedestrian gates on either side; square columns separate the gates. An arch bearing the cemetery's name rises above the center entrance, while

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...

s span the side entrances; both the arch and the lintels feature ornamental designs. The Illinois Historic Structures Survey described the gates as the best extant example of iron cemetery gate design in the state. A number of prominent past citizens of both Sycamore and nearby DeKalb are buried in the cemetery. The gates have been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

since November 28, 1978.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in DeKalb County, Illinois Sycamore, Illinois Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois 1865 sculptures