The Friends of the Historic Fayetteville City Cemetery on October 14 laid the first batch of personalized walkway bricks on the west side of the cemetery after a brief ceremony held by volunteers, brick purchasers, and City of Fayetteville government representatives. Additional bricks will be added to the walkway as more are sold and personalized.
Gail Davenport, who leads the Friends of the Historic Fayetteville City Cemetery all-volunteer group, gave an update on their progress toward renovating the cemetery grounds, noting that water service has already been added to the east side of the cemetery and plans are in the works for water service to be added as well to the west side of the cemetery. While it may seem like a small step to some, Davenport says it makes a big difference when working to clean tombstones and gravesites, not having to haul so many buckets of water.
Landscaping work has also been completed in recent months on the east side of the cemetery by the exit, which was originally the cemetery’s entrance. Additional landscaping, lighting, electrical outlets, and other “big dreams” are in the works.
“We are always looking for volunteers. We invite you to get involved,” Davenport said. “This is a great mission to get this cemetery back up to par.”
Davenport said that, because the cemetery is very old, many families of the people buried are no longer living in the area, and so most graves have no one to look after them. She noted that Fayetteville City Cemetery is a “non-perpetual” cemetery, which means there is no business or organization being paid by families of the deceased to maintain it. Basic landscape maintenance and some improvements are provided by the City of Fayetteville Public Services Department. The Friends of the Historic Fayetteville City Cemetery was formed to continue the work of identifying unknown graves, raising funds, and managing additional improvement projects.
Learn more about the cemetery, the personalized brick project, and how to get involved at www.friendsofthehistoricfayettevillecitycemetery.org.
