New interactive videos keep history alive at Des Moines cemetery

Details: DSM filmmaker Kristine Bartley launched the Woodland History Quest project last year with a grant from the Iowa Arts Council.

• Each video is between 20 seconds and 3 1/2 minutes.
• DSM Parks and Recreation will also add the videos to their YouTube channel in coming weeks.

One example is the history of George Hanawalt, a doctor who treated some of the hundreds injured in DSM in "the great train wreck of 1877."

• Many of those injured were circus performers en route to a show, and Barnum & Bailey Circus later hosted a benefit performance to thank Hanawalt for his help.
• The proceeds built a medical center that later became Methodist Hospital.

Thought bubble: This innovative way to educate and remember our dead transforms the cemetery into an interactive, outdoor museum-like attraction.

What's next: A celebration for the opening of the Woodland History Quest is being held at 9:30am Saturday, at 2019 Woodland Ave.

• Bartley continues to work on the project and told Jason she welcomes contributors. If you're interested, you can reach her at [email protected] or 515-720-5361.