|
Written by John Ellingsworth
|
|
Wednesday, 07 July 2004 |
[Originally published here on February 23, 2005.]
Saving a Cemetery
Winston-Salem Journal
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Have a good thought for the Odd Fellows Cemetery Reclamation Project, a local group trying to preserve an old cemetery. As one member puts it, they're trying to "catch the kudzu while it's sleeping." They rightly want to reverse years of weeds and neglect and save an important chunk of history.
All cemeteries are special as repositories of memories and links with the past for the descendants of those buried there. That's especially true of Odd Fellows Cemetery, which is on about eight acres of private property near the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds. The cemetery, founded by a black fraternal organization, was once the largest black cemetery in the county. Historians estimate that there may be as many as 10,000 graves in the cemetery, including those of folks dating back to the late 1800s.
Blacks just a generation away from slavery didn't have the many opportunities to preserve their history that whites had, so that's what makes the cemetery so important.
The current effort renews earlier attempts to clean up the cemetery and create a memorial. The cleanup is expected to cost at least $8,000. Winston-Salem City Councilman Nelson Malloy is helping lead the push, and descendants of those buried in the cemetery are determined to succeed this time, the Journal's Victoria Cherrie recently reported. They are trying to get the site designated a local historic landmark. That's a hard process, because so many folks could argue that their cemetery should get that status, which opens the door to grant money and other assistance.
At the very least, the descendants hope the cemetery will once again become a place to pay respect to their ancestors.
For now, organizers of the cleanup group are drafting guidelines for their work, brain-storming on fund-raisers and asking anyone who knows of people buried there to contact them. That's crucial, because many of the graves are unmarked or their markers can't be read, and the graveyard records were lost in a fire. The group has about $1,000 in its account, so it will be a while before it can cut all the kudzu and uncover a road to be used for the main entrance.
But group members do have dreams.
"It's a wonderful place if we could just get it cleaned up like a cemetery should be," said James Clyburn, who has several relatives buried in the cemetery.
Area residents who can should help the group preserve this important part of county history.
|
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 March 2008 )
|
