Halley Cemetery Restoration and Preservation
Donation protected
Please help fund the efforts to preserve and restore the Halley Family Cemetery !!
Located in the Fairfax Villa neighborhood in Fairfax County, VA, there is an old neglected family cemetery dating back to the 1700s. It is the final resting place of a Revolutionary War veteran, Sgt. James Haley, 1 Va Regt, along with a number of other members of the Halley family. There are currently only two gravestone markers on the property, but research indicates there are 10+ burials in this lot.
The cemetery was cleaned up during a Boy Scout Eagle Project in 2012, but has since fallen into neglect. Starting last summer, a few community members have worked to clean up, restore and preserve this unique piece of history that many of us drive and walk past every day.
While we have a lot of plans for the site (see details below), the immediate need is to raise money to offset the cost of removing two dead and very dangerous trees on the property. This situation poses a danger to volunteers working on the property, and has severely limited progress on the site until the trees are safely removed.
During several recent windstorms, large branches have fallen and there is now some damage to the stone wall. Work to remove the dead trees is now more urgent.
We are asking for your help and financial support so that we can continue our efforts. If you are interested in volunteering (once the tree issue is resolved) or helping out on any other way, please contact us. We welcome donations of ANY amount!
Thank you!
Our Plans for the Site – While we are still working on the details, the tasks we have laid out for ourselves are as follows:
1) Selective tree removal – After the initial dangerous tress are removed, there are approximately 10 other large vine-choked trees that may need to be removed. We are watching these closely, but expect that many of these trees will eventually need to be removed.
2) General landscaping and vine removal – While we have made significant progress (see pictures below), there is still A LOT of work needed outside the actual cemetery walls that will take a significant amount of effort.
3) Boxwoods – There are 7 remaining 200+ year old boxwoods that line a portion of the interior of the cemetery walls that we hope to preserve, and will likely have to engage a professional landscaper to assist.
4) Stabilize, repair and/or rebuild the cemetery wall – There are portions of the cemetery wall that are in fantastic shape, and other portions that have crumbled and appear to have been previously repaired. We will likely need to engage a professional to help out here as well.
5) General beautification – Once we get the area outside of the cemetery walls cleaned up, we intend to make a lot of landscaping improvements – planting native plants, small trees and shrubs, installing steps and possibly do some terracing work along the front sloped area. One of our volunteers is working up an initial plan now!
Site Pictures & Progress
Before
Initial Clearing Efforts
How it looks after much progress !
And this is how it looks today.
Please help us reach our goal so that we can continue to clean up the site and restore it so that its historic importance can be shared with the community.
Located in the Fairfax Villa neighborhood in Fairfax County, VA, there is an old neglected family cemetery dating back to the 1700s. It is the final resting place of a Revolutionary War veteran, Sgt. James Haley, 1 Va Regt, along with a number of other members of the Halley family. There are currently only two gravestone markers on the property, but research indicates there are 10+ burials in this lot.
The cemetery was cleaned up during a Boy Scout Eagle Project in 2012, but has since fallen into neglect. Starting last summer, a few community members have worked to clean up, restore and preserve this unique piece of history that many of us drive and walk past every day.
While we have a lot of plans for the site (see details below), the immediate need is to raise money to offset the cost of removing two dead and very dangerous trees on the property. This situation poses a danger to volunteers working on the property, and has severely limited progress on the site until the trees are safely removed.
During several recent windstorms, large branches have fallen and there is now some damage to the stone wall. Work to remove the dead trees is now more urgent.
We are asking for your help and financial support so that we can continue our efforts. If you are interested in volunteering (once the tree issue is resolved) or helping out on any other way, please contact us. We welcome donations of ANY amount!
Thank you!
Our Plans for the Site – While we are still working on the details, the tasks we have laid out for ourselves are as follows:
1) Selective tree removal – After the initial dangerous tress are removed, there are approximately 10 other large vine-choked trees that may need to be removed. We are watching these closely, but expect that many of these trees will eventually need to be removed.
2) General landscaping and vine removal – While we have made significant progress (see pictures below), there is still A LOT of work needed outside the actual cemetery walls that will take a significant amount of effort.
3) Boxwoods – There are 7 remaining 200+ year old boxwoods that line a portion of the interior of the cemetery walls that we hope to preserve, and will likely have to engage a professional landscaper to assist.
4) Stabilize, repair and/or rebuild the cemetery wall – There are portions of the cemetery wall that are in fantastic shape, and other portions that have crumbled and appear to have been previously repaired. We will likely need to engage a professional to help out here as well.
5) General beautification – Once we get the area outside of the cemetery walls cleaned up, we intend to make a lot of landscaping improvements – planting native plants, small trees and shrubs, installing steps and possibly do some terracing work along the front sloped area. One of our volunteers is working up an initial plan now!
Site Pictures & Progress
Before
Initial Clearing Efforts
How it looks after much progress !
And this is how it looks today.
Please help us reach our goal so that we can continue to clean up the site and restore it so that its historic importance can be shared with the community.
Organizer
Fairfax Villa Neighborhood Association
Organizer
Fairfax, VA
