This weekend, I had the great joy and honor of working with the Lincoln Cemetery Association during one our of Cemetery Resource Protection Training (CRPT) workshops. Lincoln Cemetery was established in 1888 to serve the African-American community in Orange City and the surrounding area. The cemetery is still used today and contains beautiful vernacular (homemade) headstones, formal granite markers and lots of in-ground vaults.
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| Working on monitoring Lincoln Cemetery with board members and descendants. |
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This CRPT workshop was unlike the many other workshops I've done through the years. The current board of the cemetery is deeply passionate about their cemetery. All of them have loved ones buried in the cemetery, and many have plans to be laid to rest there themselves. The group is working hard to keep up basic maintenance, conduct research on the cemetery and the individuals buried there, and ensure the cemetery has the resources necessary to thrive for another hundred or so years.
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| Cemetery-cleaning superstar Walter Welch helping with a cleaning demonstration. |
I was especially touched to get a tour of the site in the afternoon by
the descendants. My favorite part of the day: helping Ms. Evelyn clean
the grave markers of her brother and mother.
Special thanks to Kim Reading for all of her support and guidance in the community, as well as to Walter Welch for his hard work cleaning and caring for cemeteries throughout Volusia County.
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| Without Kim (left), this workshop would not have been possible! |
Words by Emily Jane Murray, Photos by Walter Welch and Emily Jane Murray
