Bluegrass Memorial Cemeteries Fund
Donation protected
A few years back my dad, Stewart, noticed something sticking up out of the weeds in an old empty lot near his home in Richmond KY. When he investigated closer, to his surprise, he found the remains of an abandoned cemetery.
It suffered from decades of neglect. Until my dad found it.... and now he works tirelessly to try and maintain the property himself. He mows and weeds, removes dead tree limbs, and basically pays due respect to those who are buried in the old lot.
When he poked around the land use records he learned the story of its origin and eventual abandonment.
The property is in a state of limbo where the county doesn't own it and doesn't want to assume liability for maintenance, and there's no possibility currently for someone else to purchase it. And for my dad, the thought of leaving it again to further decay is loss of both history and dignity for the residents of the county, and the residents of the cemetery
He has been working hard for several years to get the word out about this old forgotten memorial grounds, contacting universities, the media, local politicians, and lawyers. Now he is in the final stages of establishing a non-profit.
Soon he'll be able to open more doors for donations campaigns to cover costs of new fencing, G.I.S. mapping of the lot and gravesites, and restoration of more badly damaged headstones (In the picture you see my dad standing next to the one he saw just the tippy-top of above the weeds).
In the meantime I am setting up this campaign to try and help my dad with the expenses of maintaining the grounds, as well as mapping and restoring the gravesites. If you are able to donate even a dollar, it's so much more than just that: it's a vote of confidence. And with that, I'll go first...
Stay tuned for more news.
And thanks for reading!!
-b
If you find history fun and interesting and have a few minutes to read some stories about the founding families of Madison County I might recommend you drop in on this FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126513690793919/permalink/1673149469463669/
They have been writing-up some amazing stories and biographies of the folks who are located in the Bluegrass Memorial Cemeteries (there's actually 2!), and really bring their history to life!
It suffered from decades of neglect. Until my dad found it.... and now he works tirelessly to try and maintain the property himself. He mows and weeds, removes dead tree limbs, and basically pays due respect to those who are buried in the old lot.
When he poked around the land use records he learned the story of its origin and eventual abandonment.
The property is in a state of limbo where the county doesn't own it and doesn't want to assume liability for maintenance, and there's no possibility currently for someone else to purchase it. And for my dad, the thought of leaving it again to further decay is loss of both history and dignity for the residents of the county, and the residents of the cemetery
He has been working hard for several years to get the word out about this old forgotten memorial grounds, contacting universities, the media, local politicians, and lawyers. Now he is in the final stages of establishing a non-profit.
Soon he'll be able to open more doors for donations campaigns to cover costs of new fencing, G.I.S. mapping of the lot and gravesites, and restoration of more badly damaged headstones (In the picture you see my dad standing next to the one he saw just the tippy-top of above the weeds).
In the meantime I am setting up this campaign to try and help my dad with the expenses of maintaining the grounds, as well as mapping and restoring the gravesites. If you are able to donate even a dollar, it's so much more than just that: it's a vote of confidence. And with that, I'll go first...
Stay tuned for more news.
And thanks for reading!!
-b
If you find history fun and interesting and have a few minutes to read some stories about the founding families of Madison County I might recommend you drop in on this FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126513690793919/permalink/1673149469463669/
They have been writing-up some amazing stories and biographies of the folks who are located in the Bluegrass Memorial Cemeteries (there's actually 2!), and really bring their history to life!
Organizer
Bob Davidson
Organizer
San Diego, CA
