Dear Editor:
Thank you for the kind article about the Old Stone Cemetery and me. The Old Stone and Dick Pointer cemeteries are “town cemeteries.” Since they are not owned by any person or entity, the two cemeteries fall under the purview of our county circuit court. The court appoints trustees who, as volunteers, are responsible for the upkeep of the cemeteries. Unfortunately, there are no resources that go with that responsibility.
A few years back, Morgan Bunn, a seasoned cemetery preservationist from North Carolina, was alarmed at the deterioration and disappearance of gravestones in both town cemeteries. She has a particular interest in the Old Stone Cemetery because her family is buried there.
Bunn and her family kicked off an effort to preserve and beautify the cemeteries. That effort has become a true community endeavor as it has involved all the town’s garden clubs, the Greenbrier Historical Society, City of Lewisburg, New River Community and Technical College, local churches, Greenbrier East students and faculty, AmeriCorps workers, Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, Lewisburg Foundation, Bunn Family Foundation, Colonial Dames, and other organizations who have pitched in to help. These organizations and many volunteers understand our town cemeteries provide an important link to our past and an unusually large and pleasant green space for our town.
There is more work to be done. A free gravestone cleaning and preservation workshop is scheduled for June.
Sincerely yours,
Skip Deegans
Lewisburg
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