The cemetery is located on Illinois 3 in Gorham, IL.
In 1805, William Boone (Daniels cousin) who had originally been in Kentucky moves from Kaskaskia to what will become Jackson County. In 1807 he and his wife are blessed with the birth of their son, Benningson. William Boone at some point dropped the e from his name. By the time of the War of 1812 there were enough people in the region of the Big Muddy to constitute a company of Rangers, commanded by Captain William Boon. Captain Boon will also command a company of riflemen at the Battle of New Orleans. Sometime previous to the war of 1812 William a blacksmith purchased land around a spring below a bluff on Big Hill, just about ½ mile south of what is today Happy Hollow Road. William dies in 1836 and his son Benningson will live near the spring and the community that develops around it, even becoming the post master and justice of the peace. Ben was a veteran of the Black Hawk War and is the founder of the town of Big Hill, he died in 1879 and is buried at Boon Cemetery.
The spring still produces fresh clean water at a rate of 5 gallons per minute and is a source of drinking water for people miles around. The site of what was once the home of the Boon’s is private but is kept in park like condition by the family that owns it. Facing the spring and to the right one can still see stones that where once the home of the Boon family. The Boon cemetery is located north of the spring on the side of Big Hill. Big Hill and the spring are located off of Rt. #3 just south of Gorham.
