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.

[6] Individuals who were prominent in the establishment of Peoria as well as common men and women who made the city their home are interred in the cemetery.

Some notable individuals: Approximately 900 military veterans lie buried on the grounds (including Frank Wilbur "Spig" Wead, a U.S. Navy aviator who helped promote United States Naval aviation from its inception) in both a designated Soldiers' Hill (established in 1862) as well as in private lots.

[3][7] Four cannons mark each of the four corners, which were procured from the Rock Island Arsenal on June 10, 1874.