Interment in the cemetery began in April 1857 after the
Illinois State Legislature granted the managers the authority to accept pre-payment for interment services and trust funds for perpetual care. The cemetery remained in private ownership until 1999 at which time
Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes seized control the property due to improper management and neglected maintenance. A receiver was appointed to act on behalf of the Comptroller, and in September 2002, the publicly appointed Springdale Cemetery Management Authority was established to manage the Cemetery following the signing of an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Peoria (the property owner), the
County of Peoria, the Peoria Park District, and the Springdale Historic Preservation Foundation, a
501(c)(3) organization. Springdale Cemetery was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places as a
historic district December 10, 2004. The district contains 53 properties, just three of which are classified as
non-contributing members to the historic district. The contributing properties within the district include 3
buildings, one
site, 17
structures and 29
objects. Springdale Cemetery is also a
Local Historic Landmark as of June 1999. Locally, Springdale is said to be haunted by several apparitions, the most prominent one is that of Mildred Hallmark. on June 16th, 1935, Hallmark rode a street car to her home, but was later found underneath a tree in Springdale Cemetery. Having been sexually assaulted and subsequently murdered, the police were lead to 25 year old Gerald Thompson. He is documented as Peoria's first serial rapist, having assaulted at least 16 women before he was convicted on July 31st, 1935 and was executed via electric chair on October 15th, 1935. == Notable interments ==