News from the Silent City on the Hill – July 2025

WE KICKED OFF our 2025 summer season on Saturday, May 10th, with an informative and entertaining History Saturday presentation on the Chinese in Jacksonville during the 1800’s thru the mid 1900’s. Our speakers were Lynn Ransford and Anne Peugh, beautifully dressed in period costumes, who spoke for 45 minutes discussing the enormous impact of Chinese workers: how they were brought to the Rogue Valley, how they lived while here, and their unique contributions that can still be felt today. Cemetery docent (and newest Friends board member), Ellen Martin, provided a great introduction and, after the talk, led the entire group on a 20-minute walking tour to selected cemetery monuments.

Additional reading: Lynn and Anne referenced Silent City on the Hill, by long-time Friends volunteer Bill Miller (available at Amazon.com); and the FOJHC brochure, The Chinese in Jacksonville’s History, based on an earlier History Saturday presentation by Lynn and Anne (available at the Jacksonville Visitor Center and at the cemetery Interpretive Center).

On the following Saturday, a “small yet mighty” crew of volunteers turned out to clean twenty-four markers in the city section of the cemetery. There were raindrops, off and on, but the prevailing sentiment was: “we’ve got raincoats”… and the work continued. As project leader Dee Reynar commented: “you’ve just got to love the commitment!”

By May 22nd it was time to prepare for Memorial Day by placing flags at 435 gravesites of veterans who reside in the Jacksonville Historic Cemetery. Thanks to some thorough planning by board member Bev Smith, and a beautiful late-spring morning, twenty-two volunteers completed the flag placements by mid-day, leaving the cemetery looking great! The flags will remain through Veterans Day.

(Thanks to Dee Reynar and Eric Rogers for their reporting of our May events!)

Please check our website at friendsjvillecemetery.org for future events and programs. 

July Cemetery Events

History Saturday in the Cemetery
Saturday, July 12, 10-11:30am
“Victorian Etiquette from Birth to Death”
No advance registration is required. May not be suitable for the very young.Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. There is no fee for the tour, however donations supporting our programs are greatly appreciated.

Marker Cleaning Workshop
Saturday, July 19, 9am-noon
Come learn the latest tools and techniques to safely clean and preserve the many grave markers in our cemetery that are covered in moss, lichen, and dirt and have become difficult to read. This is a hands-on workshop, so dress accordingly. Bring a stool to sit on, plus sunscreen and a hat.

All Events—Meet at the Sexton’s Tool House, top of Cemetery Road. Parking within the cemetery.