Kentucky Ancestors, Volume 46, Number 2 - Kentucky Historical ...

Old Sharpsburg City Cemetery, Bath Co. Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of Dorothy Clemons.)
for the local residents to know where the cemeteries
are within their county; they need to watch the
newspaper for land being offered for sale where a
cemetery is located; they need to watch the outcomes
of the meetings of fiscal courts and city commissions
that give permission for cemeteries to be moved.
Descendants who live out of town or even out of state
will have no idea the land their ancestors are buried
on is for sale or has been sold. They will have to rely
on the local people to be their spokespersons.
In an attempt to provide as much information
as possible to those who are interested in cemetery
preservation, I have often provided on-site
workshops. These workshops offer a chance for
interested people to meet, get printed information
(gravestone repair, cleaning headstones, mapping
cemeteries, headstone rubbings “do’s and don’ts,” and
applicable Kentucky law), exchange questions, and if
possible, go to a local cemetery for hands-on training
about proper stone cleaning techniques.
History lives through all our efforts to preserve,
protect, document, and share. History lives through
cemetery preservation, and this is happening on a
much greater scale than was seen in the past. More
and more people are becoming interested in and
taking pride in protecting their family cemeteries,
and thus they are realizing their wonderful history
that is contained in the stories the stones have to
tell. Reading the stones many times gives a picture of
the person who rests there, and then there are those
resting places that are marked only with a field stone
or maybe no stone, and you are left to wonder about
their story.
In this rapidly changing world where vacant land
102 | Kentucky Ancestors
is at a premium and where land once set aside for the
family burial ground many times is in jeopardy, it
is more important than ever for family members to
take steps to research, find, document, photograph,
map, and protect their family cemeteries. The history
found on the stones tells the story of those who were
placed there with loving care and respect. Our job,
as descendants, and those interested in preservation,
is to continue to extend that respect by protecting
their resting place. They deserve no less. Cemetery
preservation is important work, efforts are on-going,
and much remains to be done. If you are currently
involved in preserving a cemetery, thank you and
please continue the rescue. If you are not currently
involved in preserving a cemetery, please consider
seeking out people in your community who are, get
involved, and keep the work going.
Ann G. Johnson
Cemetery Preservation
Kentucky Historical Society
100 West Broadway
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
P: 502-564-1792, Ext. 4404
F: 502-564-4701
anng.johnson@ky.gov
For more information about the KHS Cemetery
Preservation Program or to request a workshop, please
contact Ann Johnson at 502-564-1792, ext. 4404, or
by e-mail at AnnG.Johnson@ky.gov.