DCPL Kentucky Room Announces Cemetery Preservation Group

Growing up, a lot of my friends lived close to Sutton Elementary where we went to school. When I would play at their houses, we would ride bikes to visit other friends who lived nearby. One day, my friends Jennifer and Jessica asked if I knew about the hidden cemetery down the road.

We were REALLY into the movie "Now and Then" at the time. The story is about a group of girls in the 1960s who...ride their bikes around and explore the local cemetery, so I was all in for this adventure. To my surprise it was most certainly hidden. Very overgrown and neglected. So much so that even though I know my parents drove me past it all the time, I had never even noticed it.

The little cemetery is in much better shape these days, but there are others around the county in disrepair with the folks resting there unfortunately forgotten. That's why the Daviess County Public Library Kentucky Room is forming a cemetery preservation group.

Heather Ramsey from DCPL told me that the idea started because of some interested patrons. "It's something we have been focused on doing for some time. In the Kentucky Room, we have a lot of cemetery lists, but they haven't been updated since the 90s."

The first meeting is planned for May 24th at 6 PM and on the agenda is a brainstorming session for the best way to create a comprehensive list of local graves with an accompanying map of where the graves are located.

"We intend to work on getting memorials updated on the website findagrave.com. So people from all over the world can see pictures of headstones and memorials. They'll be able to eventually list GPS locations and use coordinates to find their loved ones resting places if they are ever in the area." Heather said.

"We really want to get out in cemeteries, if we have enough people interested, to properly document graves. We may do some light cleaning like brushing off dirt or removing overgrowth, but we don't want to accidentally cause any damage." Down the road, they may be able to restore headstones to their former glory.

The group also hopes to combat the misconception that cemeteries are "creepy." They are where we lay our loved ones to rest and where we can remember and reconnect with them.

With Memorial Day coming up, the focus of this project will begin with veterans that have passed away. It is important to make sure they are honored how they should be. If you have any questions you can call the Kentucky Room at 270-691-1883. Organizers hope people will join in and make this project a reality.