By Matthew Cumberledge
Isaac Newton Dreamer, a largely unknown farmer who died in 1935, has been nearly lost to history. A quick search of records housed within the county will turn up little. If you want to learn more about this elusive figure in Greene County’s past, you have to dig deep. Isaac was a man of vision, of dreams. As such, he left us one of the most scenic monuments in the county.
Off the beaten path, along Day Road in the most northwestern part of Richhill Township in Greene County is the Dreamer Family Cemetery and Memorial Park. The location has a commanding view of the scenic valley below and was undoubtedly chosen for this very reason. This land was once part of the Dreamer farm.
Isaac spent his life as a bachelor, having been born to Rosanna Dreamer on April 7th, 1859. His only other close relative was his sister Rebecca. Rebecca also chose to remain single throughout the duration of her life and died on March 5th, 1935 of pneumonia with complications from cancer. Not long after Rebecca’s death, Isaac died from pneumonia on March 24th, 1935. From what we can see, Isaac and Rebecca spent their lives with their mother until her death in 1898.
In his will, Isaac saw to it that his small family would be remembered by a large monument in a new family cemetery, but he also wished to commemorate ALL individuals who have served their country with a large memorial monument. His will provided for he and his sister to be buried on an acre of ground that had been set aside for a cemetery. He requested that his mother Roseanna, who had been buried elsewhere, be reinterred in the new family cemetery. Ten thousand dollars was set aside to purchase two markers. One marker was dedicated to Isaac, his sister and his mother, and a second marker was in memory of the armed services.
This second monument was a grand statement. It is an obelisk, over 35 feet tall, and topped with a granite carved eagle whose wingspan measures over five feet. The whole monument is reputed to weigh over 55,000 pounds. At the base an inscription reads: “Erected in their memory by I. N. Dreamer.. Inscriptions are carved on each of its four faces:
- 1775 – 1781 The Revolutionary War bravely they fought and founded a nation.
- 1861 – 1865 The Civil War fulfilled their purpose to free the slaves and preserve the union of the state
- 1898 Spanish-American War theirs a successful war to help an oppressed people
- 1917 – 1918 The World War on land, air and sea at home and abroad they served heroically.
The plot that this magnificent eagle-topped obelisk sits on is marked at the corners by four small granite blocks each bearing a single word: Nurses, Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines.
Nearby is a large, well-dressed block of granite with three small stones behind it that bear the names and dates of birth and death for Isaac N. Dreamer, his mother Roseanna, and his sister Rebecca.
Dreamer also specified for a 25 acre park to be created around the monument to provide a place for reflection, and to ensure that anyone in the area who may not be able to afford a burial plot elsewhere would have the ability to have a proper burial there.
However, Dreamers’ will was not followed completely. He had provided that a organization for the care and upkeep of the park and cemetery be established, and allocated funds to provide for these measures. The organization wasn’t established in his lifetime and it was determined that the funds be dispersed to the other heirs of his estate. The park sat vacant and uncared for until 1978 when the county instated it as the Dreamer Memorial Park that it was always intended to be.
It’s fair to say that every community in the county has a small veterans memorial of some sort, and there are several large veterans memorials scattered throughout the county, some in large cemeteries, and others, like the Jesse Taylor Memorial in Jollytown, stand on their own as a testament to the brave men and women from Greene County who gave their all to defend their nation.
New monuments are still being built around the county. In 2018, a new World War I Memorial was dedicated on the land behind the tennis court on Rolling Meadows Road, just outside of Waynesburg and a new veterans monument is being planned in the same location. But nothing can compare to the solitary location and serene landscape around the Dreamer Memorial Park.
Why Isaac N. Dreamer chose to allow for such a park and monument in his will is as much a mystery as the man himself. Research has been able to uncover little information on Dreamer and his life and family. Perhaps there are clues out there still waiting to be uncovered, and the details of this man and his desire to monumentally commemorate the military history of this county and nation will be revealed. If you ever find yourself in need of a quite place to reflect or are just taking a scenic fall drive, take the time to make the trip into the high rolling hills of Richhill Township, and trace the ridges and valleys until you find Day Road and experience the serenity of this largely unknown local monument.