Success in the Cemetery!

Our August 15th Marker Cleaning Workshop was a wonderful success with 48 headstones and monuments being cleaned in the Independent Order of Red Men and Catholic Section. Much appreciation to volunteers Mary Siedlecki, Beverly Helvie, Kathy Waltz, Peggy Jennings, Lorry Davis, Pam Smith, Michael Sneary, Teresa Hopkins, Sherry Kramer, Beverly Smith, Ken and Dee Reynar, Teresa Lilleboe, Kathy Kromer, Michele and Ruby Simmons, Annelise and Stella Weston, Julia Millar, Lisa Gogswell and David Grant. All of the headstones and monuments have now been cleaned in both sections, as well as in the Beach Annex.

A total of 125 hours in labor was donated by our volunteers in cleaning headstones, caring for the grounds and in restoration projects in August 2020.

A special thank you to Steve Casaleggio who refurbished our cemetery brochure box in August. He ordered and donated a new sign for the top of the lid, cleaned and painted the wood siding to match the Interpretive Center and Sexton’s Tool House. His timing was perfect as our new Cemetery Kiosk Map arrived on August 26.

The map, produced by Benchmark Maps of Central Point, is very detailed and shows every Block by number in all sections of the grounds. Visitors can go online and locate a block number and then, using the map, follow the Block Number signs and more easily locate the grave site they are looking for. Currently with concerns of spreading the C19 virus, our Interpretive Center has been closed since March. Once it is safe to do so, it will be opened and a binder containing a copy of the cemetery burial records will be available on site for visitors to refer to. At present, only the City Section has Block Number signs placed around the roadways and walkways with plans to place them in other sections of the cemetery as well. The draftsmen-style stand for the map was made by Bryan Pancheau who restored the entrance gates and designed and made the hand railings around the Interpretive Center and the Kiosk Pavilion. Its design will allow us to tilt the map down and move it out of the way so that the Pavilion can be used for events.

Well… its October, and normally we would be quite busy with our Meet the Pioneers program, but like so many other things, it has been put on hold. Our players and support staff look forward to its return and welcoming you in October 2021. In the meantime, may we suggest visiting a selection from our 2015 production, Jacksonville’s Saloon Ladies #7 on YouTube.com under Oregon History Tales.