Bloomington, Illinois: Poppy Plane Crash Memorial (Gone)
In 1948 a small plane flew over this cemetery to drop poppies on Memorial Day. It crashed into a tree and burst into flames, killing the poppy-dropper. In 2015 the dying tree was carved into a plane crash sculpture - which then fell a few years later from bug infestation.
Evergreen Cemetery
- Directions:
- Enter the cemetery at 302 E. Miller St., go right. The plane tree is about 100 yards ahead.
- Status:
- Gone
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I was able to find where it used to be in the cemetery, but the tree, as well as the commemorative plaque, have been removed.
[Andrew Strom, 10/28/2023]
Visited the cemetery and the Poppy Plane Crash Memorial in November 2019. The historical marker stands near the carving made from the tree the plane hit.
[Katz Paganstar, 11/18/2019]
In Bloomington's Evergreen cemetery there is a memorial carved out of a tree that was involved in a fatal plane crash.
The story: in 1948 a WWII trainer plane, a Vultee BT -13 Valiant, was flying low over the cemetery dropping poppy flowers on a crowd to commemorate Memorial Day when it struck a tree. A passenger was killed. When the tree recently started dying the memorial was commissioned.
When you enter the cemetery at 302 E. Miller St. take a right. The plane tree is about 100 yards ahead.
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According to the cemetery, the tree carving fell "due to bug infestation." Without the tree, the cemetery apparently felt there was no point to the plaque.