This is an old cemetery but one which is not taken on any size.  It is one of the smallest public burying grounds and most obscure in the county.  In all probability there will never be another burial here.

It is located on the north half of a rectangular plot about big enough for a family home on a rural corner, facing two gravel roads.  It is about as depressing an environment as can be found in the county, unsightly fences and an unsatisfactory horizon.

To get to it one takes the blacktop west out of Basco, Illinois, and after a couple of miles turns south on the gravel.  It is about a mile down this side road.

A one room rural grade school building stood on the south half of the corner plot at one time.  This old building, symbol of the horse and buggy age in Western Illinois, has been gone from the landscape here for many years now and all that is left to remind sentimental souls of the scenes of their childhood here is the school well.

The entire plot is grown up to brush and weeds now it is fenced on the field sides, the north and east, with sharp farm field wire fence.

Most of the monuments and Sylvandale are cheap and shoddy in appearance or are down.  These dead clearly were not from families where Wealth was taken for granted.

They had their day of happiness beneath the warm summer sun of Wythe Township and other days they battled back a sea of troubles and ashes and pains under zero winter skies. For them all this is over now.  They are at rest here in surroundings of brush, weeds, and mud they will never again shout their satisfaction or curse their lot of poverty and pain.

(Wythe Township historic sites lists drawn up by the township's site chairman Robert Cochran and the committee made up of Sam Jacobs, Earl Disselhorst, and Robert Allen).

25-22.  Sylvandale School was built exactly on the line between Wythe and Bear Creek Townships. The building was removed a few years ago and was located just south of the old cemetery, also known as Sylvandale.  This cemetery is possibly the oldest in the Township and is said to contain a number of unmarked Indian Graves as well as those in a family of five who died of cholera on their way west. It is no longer used for burial although some of the members of the Charpentier family were interred their a generation ago.  Sylvandale Post Office was nearby in the area east of the school and cemetery.

Barnard, Claire Catherine (Charpentier)- b:1889   d: November 1, 1918 in West Point, Hancock Co, Illinois
Booust, Ferdinand- b: 1806  d: August 19, 1875 aged 69 years
Carns, John- b: October 13, 1791   d: December 13, 1869  Aged 78 yrs 2 days  (h/o Mary Carns)
Carns, Mary- b: May 5, 1799   d : September 27, 1871 aged 72 years 4 months 22 days
Charpentier, George- b:1855   d: 1907
Charpentier, Henri-  b:1868   de:1953
Charpentier, Jules Henri- b: November 3, 1839 in Paris, France  d: June 28, 1895 and West Point, Hancock Co , Illinois  (h/o Marie Charpentier)
Charpentier, Marie Josephe- b: February 15, 1847   d: January 20, 1916 in West Point, Hancock Co, Illinois
Charpentier, Rachel- b: April 2, 1882   d: April 21, 1936
George, Adlid- b: June 2, 1855   d:  August 28, 1855
Gentry, William C.- b:   d: September 19, 1855  (s/o I. M. and S. C. Gentry)
George, Elizabeth- b: August 12, 1821   d: April 13, 1889  aged 68 yrs 8 days  (w/o William George)
George, Emily- b: December 3, 1851   d: August 184?
George, Laura- b: June 12, 1852   d:  October 9, 1852
George, William A.- b: October 2nd 1944   d: August 11, 1848
George, William A- b: February 24, 1817   d: September 7, 1883  (h/o Elizabeth George)
Gordon, Amanda A.-b: March 26, 1837 in Ohio  d: October 5, 1890  (d/o  Jesse and Sarah Gordon)
Gordon, Jesse J.- b: March 1, 1810   d:  August 7, 1878
Gordon, John F.- b: April 4, 1839 in Basco, Hancock Co,  Illinois  d: December 14, 1901 in Basco, Hancock Co, Illinois  (s/o Jesse and Sarah Gordon)
Gordon, Lucinda- b:  May 15, 1844 in Basco, Hancock Co, Illinois  d:  March 11, 1882  (d/o  Jesse and Sarah Gordon)
Gordon, Sarah- b:  1849  d:  No Date   (d/o  Jesse and Sarah Gordon)
Gordon, Sarah- b: December 15,  1809   d: December 14, 1888
McCall, J. S.- b: August 5, 1809   d : September 17, 1858  Aged 49 years 1 months 12 days
McCall, David H.- b: September 30, 1856   d : November 25, 1858  Aged 2 years 1 months 25 days  (s/o J S and N McCall)
McCall, Bertie- b: December 14, 1878   d: July 3, 1883  Aged 4 years 7 months 19 days  (s/o J M and S E McCall)
Wardwell, Austin- b: March 10, 1800   d: December 13, 1880  aged 80 years 9 months 8 days