It is my pleasure to provide a further report on the ceremonies that were held in honor of the participants who worked for over two years to reconstruct the wall that borders the Old Burying Ground in Greenfield (Madison Township), Highland County, Ohio.
In the process, many broken displaced tombstones that had been scattered around the grounds and sinking out of sight in some cases, were cemented inside the wall with whatever is left of their inscriptions in view to give them their own significant place in the cemetery.
The group effort was a labor of love - the photographs prove how worthwhile and lasting the result of their efforts are that turned an 'almost forgotten' pioneer burial ground into one which the Greenfield community and all visitors can take pride in..
(Photo below):
From left to right:
Earlene Scott, Vice President of Greenfield Historical Society (GHS), Teddy Higginbotham, Everett Harvey, and John Daugherty-Volunteers and Lifetime Members of the GHS, Wendy Royse, Co President GHS.
June 2, 2007 - "Before Photo" of a portion of the crumbling wall of the Old Burying Ground (interior view) prior to restoration:
October 3, 2009 - "After Photo" of the Old Burying Ground reconstructed wall - partial interior view illustrating how the broken tombstones were incorporated into the wall:
"Greenfield residents celebrated Greenfield History Day 3 Oct 2009 and for one group of volunteers it was an especially fitting end to almost three years of work.
Spring 2007 marked the beginning of efforts to built a stone and mortar wall along boundaries of the "Old Burying Ground" or as sometimes referred to as the "Old Pioneer Cemetery" located adjacent to the Travellers' Rest, Headquarters of the Greenfield Historical Society (GHS).
John Daugherty, Teddy Higginbotham, and Everett Harvey were the lead volunteers for restoring the wall and worked throughout the more than two and one-half years almost every Saturday morning. The three were honored Saturday by the City of Greenfield and the Greenfield Historical Society for their contributions. A City Proclamation setting aside 3 October 09, as a day of honor for the three was read by Tati Cunningham, Greenfield City Councilwoman. Following that, co-president, Wendy Royse, of the GHS, presented lifetime GHS memberships to the three."
