Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1915-11-05
BRIEF HISTORY OF WORK
BY CEMETERY ASSOCIATION
Outline of Activities of Civic Or.
ganization That Has Accom-
plished Much-Their Plans
For Future Work.

The following paper, prepared
by Mrs. w. G. HARRISON, at the
request of the Tazewell Gene
terry Association, will be of inter-
est to those who take an inter-
est in the cemtery work, which
was begun ten years ago. The
paper was not prepared with a
view of being printed in the pa
pers, but Mrs. HARRISON has con-
sented for it's publication in the
News:
1t was on a bleak January day,
nearly ten years ago, that a lit
tie band of women met in the
Presbyterian church to discuss
! the possibility of recovering the
two cemeteries of Tazewell from
a condition which years of neg
lect had brought about-a con-
dition which no one approved of
but no one had been able to
change. The tasks, as we all
knew, was far from an easy one.
and nothing but a deep personal
interest could ever have induced
us to put our hands to it. 1t had
been tried before-always to end
in failure-and many felt that
another attempt would meet
with the same fate.
At that time the most neg
lected acres of all the green
slopes of Tazewell were those
few acres set aside for our dead
and the chaotic conditions of the
little space of earth that was
most sacred.
After talking the matter over
at the first meeting, our dear
Mrs. Chapman arose and asked
the women present to join with
her in organizing an association
and starting at once on the much
needed work. The result of that
little meeting is history of
which this community can well
be proud.
The obstacles encountered that
first year of our oganization
were more serious than most of
you knew of, and more than once
1T seemed to those who were
trying to lead the women in
their efforts for better ceme-
teries that they had undertaken
what they could never manage
but little by little, the work
moved on, and the cemeteries.
which then stood a reproach to
all OF us, are today grounds that
we may well be proud of-a
credit to the county.
AS the improvements brought
out our plans, and became a sure
thing, country people began to
buy lots, at Maplewood, and it
was evident that the town would
need a larger cemetery-so land
was purchased with the view of
enlarging the grounds whenever
needed. One purchase was made
SIX years ago, the other four
years ago, and this year the as
sociation expects to pay the last
dollar of the purchase price, $3,-
591.00.
This debt, with interest, to-
gether with the upkeep of the
cemeteries, has kept the associa-
tion busy, so the permanent i'm
provements have not been push
ed, but now, that we are out of
debt, (or will be when what is
due the association is paid in) ,
we are ready to again to give at
tention to pushing forward with
improvements, and we trust that
every man and woman who has
an interest in these burial
grounds will stand by us and
keep the work moving on. We
hope TO make the grounds self
sustaining, but for the present
they must be kept up by those
who love them, and, in the mean
time, improvements must be
made. To stop doing is to 90
back, and we must make these
sacred acres show faithful work
each year.
1t will not be long before a
new fence will be needed on the
East and North sides of Jeffer-
sonville cemetery, and good
fence around Maplewood. AS
new fencing goes up, it should be
first class-something that will
stand, and fund must be made
ready for this. The stone wall
will be extended at Jefferson
vile, at the expense of those who