The community showed up to pay tangible tribute to the past at a Sept. 29 work day at the Old Clarkesville Cemetery.
“It would have taken us three months to accomplish this,” said Polly Earle, board member with Historic Clarkesville Cemetery Preservation, Inc.
One volunteer, the first to arrive, drove from Marietta to help. Lee Webb, a former classmate of HCCP, Inc. board member Brooks Garcia, was followed by a steady stream of eager helpers.
Close to 20 people contributed service hours to help with landscaping, headstone cleaning, heavy lifting and other related tasks.
“I was moved greatly by the outpouring of support for this project. It shows that the community is really behind this worthy cause to protect, preserve and share this valuable cultural treasure with the residents of Clarkesville, Habersham County and the state of Georgia,” Garcia said. “Besides it was great fun!”
Clarkesville Mayor Barrie Aycock chairs the HCCP board and has made the cemetery project a priority in her schedule.
“What an exciting day we had last Saturday at our historic cemetery,” Aycock said. “It was wonderful to see so many eager volunteers working on cleaning gravestones, picking up trash, searching for buried monuments and planting beautiful things. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and support for this project.”
Several groups sent volunteers to join the effort, including the Clarkesville Garden Club, Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Habersham Guard Camp No. 716 and Mount Hope Cemetery in Dahlonega.
A fundraiser to support restoration efforts is planned for Oct. 11. A limited number of tickets for An Evening at Villa Sole are still available.
Visit oldclarkesvillecemetery.com for more information.
Old Clarkesville Cemetery 