A New Look For An Old Cemetery

Tuesday, May 29th 2007, 10:08 am

By: News On 6

There is new life for an old cemetery. It's the final resting place for an Indian Territory pioneer who came here on the Trail of Tears. News On 6 anchor Craig Day told us about the century old cemetery in Cherokee County a couple of weeks ago. He reports work has now started to clean it up.

For the first time in years, memorial wreaths mark the graves where William and Eliza Hendricks are buried. The little cemetery between Ft. Gibson and Tahlequah also looks much different than it did. It makes the propertyâ€™s owner, Nancy Wells, proud knowing the cemetery is on the road to recovery.

"I really think that we'll have it within the next month,â€ said Wells. â€œWe'll have it pretty much restored."

There is still work to be done, but the cemetery is in much better shape than it was a couple of weeks ago. Volunteers have cut down trees and cleared away much of the thorns and brush that had overtaken the beauty of the small graveyard.

"He doesn't deserve this,â€ Wells said. â€œHe and his wife deserve to be buried and people respect their gravesite."

Thanks to volunteers, that is happening. Those volunteers have held one workday so far at the cemetery. Rain has slowed down some of their efforts, but more workdays are scheduled in the coming weeks. That's when those volunteers will haul off a lot of the brush.

With funds from the Cherokee Nation, the old iron ornamental fence will be repaired and a new exterior fence will be built to keep cattle out. Muskogee Marble and Granite will also donate it's labor and expertise to fix the headstones.

"They're just being so gracious to help me, and they don't know how much I appreciate that,â€ said Wells.

For Wells, it does her heart good knowing the long neglected graves won't be forgotten any longer and that soon, the cemetery will be a place Hendrix and his wife would be proud of.

After more research, area historians believe another person is buried in the old cemetery, possibly a Mormon minster that died around the turn of the century. Wells hopes to find out who that person is, and eventually she wants to add another headstone to the cemetery.

Watch the video: Century Old Cemetery Has New Life

Related Story and Video:

5/10/2007 - Cemetery In Grave Condition

Watch the video: Land Owner Wants Help Preserving Century Old Graveyard