Iron Cross Cemetery Survey

by: Tom Isern

Iron cross grave markers are a recognized and treasured feature of the material culture of the North American plains. In the United States this body of material culture has been identified historically and culturally with the Germans from Russia.

In North Dakota, Dr. Tim Kloberdanz conducted a survey of German-Russian iron cross cemeteries (mainly east of the Missouri River) in 1987-88, which resulted in a context statement for iron crosses and the nomination of 23 cemeteries to the National Register of Historic Places.

These treasures of Great Plains folklife are getting fairly well known across North Dakota. People know that in localities peopled by Germans from Russia, graveyards are likely to contain iron cross markers fashioned by local blacksmiths and exhibiting distinctive designs and traditional symbols.

The Institute for Regional Studies, North Dakota State University, has commenced a survey of cemeteries in North Dakota containing iron cross grave markers. The work is supported by a grant from the Historic Preservation Fund of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The director of the survey project is Tom Isern, NDSU Professor of History.

"Iron cross grave markers are a recognized and distinctive feature of Great Plains folklife," says Isern. "I've seen wonderful collections of iron crosses in cemeteries of Germans from Hungary and also in those of Ukrainian settlements."

The new survey is intended to broaden the scope of previous work. It will cover at least 65 cemeteries state-wide including not only those of Germans from Russia but also those of other cultural groups. The documentation of iron crosses is intended to safeguard them, not threaten them.

Public help is sought to locate iron cross cemeteries in North Dakota, to document the history of the iron crosses, and to identify individuals with knowledge of the subject. Interested parties can write Dr. Isern at NDSU, Fargo ND 58105-5075; telephone 701-231-8339; or visit the web site of the project at http://rrnet.com/~plains/ironcross.

Books by Tim Kloberdanz

Thunder on the Steppe: Volga German Folklife in a Changing Russia
(Published 1994)
Volga Germans in Old Russian and in Western North America: Their Changing World View
(Published 1979)

Books by Tom Isern