SANFORD, Fla. – After years of neglect, a group of volunteers is cleaning a historic Sanford cemetery and searching for graves that Mother Nature has long since covered with thick grass and trees.
- Volunteers clean up neglected Sanford cemetery
- They scrubbed tombstones, cleared debris and Page Jackson Cemetery
- They also searched for graves that have been lost
Jennifer Eve, an organizer for the Central Florida Cemetery Project, and a group of volunteers are out scrubbing tombstones in and around Page Jackson Cemetery in Sanford.
“Some of them are just so dirty, they’re so degraded, you can’t tell what they say,” Eve said.
Regina Bradley and her daughter are two of the volunteers making sure the final resting place for several area leaders and veterans from the Civil War and many other wars is respectful.
“Honestly, I can’t believe that nobody’s taken care of this cemetery,” Bradley said. “These people mattered, so I think we need to honor them.”
And not only are members of this group out cleaning, but they’re also looking for graves that have been lost. They’re cutting down the thick Florida forest hoping to find head stones that have been buried by Mother Nature.
Eve said now they’re searching for a vault shown in a previous survey of the area.
“Wonderful,” Eve said.
The hard work paid off.
The group finds the tombstone that probably hasn’t been seen for a long time.
“This is part of the exciting part is when we know there’s something in here and then we finally find it,” Eve said.
The Florida Department of State, the department charged with looking after cemeteries, reports there are thousands of cemeteries in Florida that are in a state of ruin.
The Central Florida Cemetery Project volunteers are in a city-owned part of the cemetery, but other parts are privately owned and have also been neglected.
One of the owners said this year they have plans to map the graves and begin cleaning the area.
As for this group, they’ll continue their effort to make sure those who have gone before us are well taken care of.
“There’s such a difference of months ago when we first started coming and what it looks like now. It gives me sense of satisfaction,” Bradley said.
The Central Florida Cemetery Project says its work is not done.
It expects to continue in that part of the cemetery, cleaning and searching for graves, for some time to come.
If you would like to volunteer, you can head to the organization’s Facebook page.