The Friends of Historic Nacogdoches, Inc. and the City of Nacogdoches Historic Sites Department are holding their final Headstone Cleaning of 2016 at the historic Oak Grove Cemetery. This final headstone cleaning will take place tomorrow. We encourage citizens to take part in the beautification of the cemetery at a time of year when cemeteries all over the county are most vulnerable to vandalism and damage.
There are many beautiful historic sites in the City of Nacogdoches, but when most people think about them, they don’t include Oak Grove Cemetery. Oak Grove is the oldest cemetery in Nacogdoches, established in 1837 and is the final resting place of four signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, veterans from almost every major war, politicians, movie stars, and countless others that shaped the history of Nacogdoches and Texas.
The Oak Grove Cemetery Cleaning Workshop will take place tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m. Participants will, under the guidance of a cemetery preservationist, clean approximately 30 headstones. The cleaning will remove dirt, debris, mold, and lichen that have accumulated over the past 100 years.
The goal for 2016, Nacogdoches Tricentennial year, was to hold several cleaning workshops that would not only improve the condition of the headstones, but would also educate the public on cemetery preservation. To date we have cleaned over 120 headstones, some with dramatic results.
Participation for this workshop is limited to the first 10 applicants. All participants must fill out a registration form and return it, signed, to the Historic Sites Department prior to the workshop on Friday.
A special thanks to those who have supported this project: Nacogdoches Daughters of the American Revolution Chapter 6078, Henry C. Hancock Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, James Haggard Chapter of the Colonial Dames XVII Century, John S. Roberts Chapter of the US Daughters of 1812, Nacogdoches Junior Forum, National Society of the Daughter of American Colonies Fredonia Chapter, Apex Dental, and Dr. Matthew Larson DDS,
For Further information on how you can help support this project or to participate please contact Jessica Sowell, Assistant Historic Sites Manager at (936) 560-4441 or by email at sowellj@ci.nacogdohces.tx.us
