WAVERLY -- A small hole in a hill at Harlington Cemetery serves a simple purpose. The cold storage vault holds items used in the graveyard's upkeep.

But the crypt, constructed in 1887, used to be an important part of the interment process. Until the 1960s, the space protected the bodies of souls who perished during winter when frozen ground prevented immediate burial.

Until recently, age and decay threatened the crypt and connecting retaining walls. The walls didn't drain groundwater properly and the structure's surface was crumbling, creating a potential safety hazard.

City officials decided to fix the historic landmark. Construction on the rare cemetery treasure began last fall and continued this spring.

"It's something to be proud of," said Neil Happel, owner of Happel Landscaping of Waverly.

Gardner Architecture of Strawberry Point and Restoration Services of Waterloo also contributed to the project.

Workers repaired the drainage system and put in a modern wall similar in appearance to the structure's original. The wall's centerpiece also needed tuck-pointing.

Stone pieces more than 100 years old also decorate the crypt.

Cemetery reserve money and private donations paid for the project. Total costs are expected to be $25,000.

The crypt still needs plaster on the interior and outer walls will also be sloped, said Tab Ray, Waverly's parks and recreation director. But the bulk of reconstruction is complete, and residents may want to get their first look during Memorial Day weekend.

"That's the big holiday, you might say, for cemeteries," Ray said.

Now that the crypt has a facelift, city officials and historians hope to utilize the landmark for educational programming and tourism. The crypt has already served as a stop on a cemetery walk.

The crypt is believed to be one of only two of its kind left in the state, according to city officials. Des Moines also keeps a historic cemetery vault.

"It is rare for communities to still have a crypt of this nature still around," said Terry Lindell, a member of the city's Historic Preservation Commission. "Many communities never developed them."

Harlington Cemetery, because it includes winding paths with park-like greenery, is a town treasure, Lindell said. The restoration of the crypt adds to its value.

"Not only because of the long association with the community and deep, sentimental attachments to it as a place where we have buried our dead, but it was also an early example in Iowa of what might be called a garden cemetery," he said.

People are often surprised to learn the crypt is a single, rectangular room, Ray said. There are no twists and turns, no hidden catacombs.

Reconstruction turned up part of a fence post and some food jars, Happel said.

"There is always the fascination or the wonder of, 'Are we going to find something behind the walls that's not supposed to be there?" he said.

Contact Karen Heinselman at 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.