Ricki Gardenhire
(502) 573-2382

            Department for Local Government (DLG) Commissioner Jody Lassiter announced today 51 preservation grants for 48 groups working to preserve the state’s cemeteries.

Commissioner Lassiter said there are more than 13,000 identified cemeteries in Kentucky and a great many have been abandoned or neglected for many years.

“Kentucky is known for its genealogical resources and cemetery preservation is a piece of the puzzle when putting together family histories. It’s important to memorialize and celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us by preserving and maintaining the state’s cemeteries and individual grave sites,” said Lassiter.

            The DLG will allocate $591,092 in this first funding cycle of the new Kentucky Cemetery Preservation Program for maintenance, preservation and restoration activities.

Examples of maintenance activities include initial cleanup and landscaping, purchasing equipment, fencing, signage and improving interior roads. Preservation and restoration activities include acquiring conservation easements, surveying boundaries and repairing and cleaning tombstones.

Other activities that are eligible for funding are historic research, archiving, training to support cemetery preservation and improving access roads.

Grant recipients and project descriptions are as follows:

·        Bardstown Cemetery Committee, Bardstown Pioneer Cemetery, $9,768 – Construct perimeter fencing and install gates; sarcophagi repair

·        Barrow Cemetery Association (Lincoln County), Barrow Cemetery, $3,262 – Complete existing brick fence in front of cemetery and install ornamental gates

·        Bell County Cemetery Board, $25,000 – Clean 330 cemeteries and other work as needed

·        Bluegrass Tomorrow, Inc., Keen Family Cemetery (Fayette County), $4,479 – Provide landscaping; install fencing; add signage; grave delineation and tombstone repairs

·        Bourbon County Cemetery Board, Clay-Bedford Cemetery, $5,245 – Initial cleanup; repair of existing stone wall; tombstone cleaning and repair; small equipment purchase; and signage

·        Boyd County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $25,000 – Identify cemetery boundaries; acquire access easements; preservation and maintenance activities at selected sites

·        Bracken County Cemetery Board, $5,000 – Re-distribute funds to local applicants for the same range of eligible activities

·        Carter County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $25,000 – Inventory county cemeteries; cleanup; tree removal; fencing; monument cleaning and repair; signage; small equipment purchase; and access road work

·        Crossroads Cemetery (Allen County), $7,500 – Install fencing and signage

·        Cumberland Hill African-American Cemetery Board (Webster County), Cumberland Hill Cemetery, $6,000 – Initial cleanup; equipment purchase and contracted labor; legal expenses for acquisition; and historic research

·        Edmonson County Cemetery Board, Hester Cemetery, $3,000 – Purchase of chainsaws and other cleanup equipment; initial cleanup involving tree and brush removal; signage

·        Estill County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $14,430 – Countywide archive project; access road improvements at 12 sites; fencing and cleanup at one site; fencing at one site

·        Fleming County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $10,000 – Re-distribute funds to local applicants for the same range of eligible activities

·        Grant County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $10,000 – Purchase of equipment

·        Greater Campbellsville United, Crown Hill and Odd Fellow cemeteries, $3,500 – Install signage, survey boundaries, and improve fencing

·        Greensburg, Hobson Cemetery, $2,924 – Repair stone wall and gate; repair, clean and stabilize markers; stump removal; grave fill and reseeding; and historic signage

·        Harrison County Cemetery Board, Harrison County Cemetery and the Old Cemetery, $5,000 – Clearing of brush; tombstone repair; tree and shrub planting; fencing

·        Johnson-Wilson Cemetery Stewards Association (Boone County), Johnson-Wilson Cemetery and Old Burlington Cemetery, and Dinsmore Homestead, $17,692 – Install fencing; tree removal; repair and resetting of gravestones; stone wall restoration; documentation; historic marker. Also, develop countywide brochure; cemetery relocation plaques at 14 sites; and install signs at 20 sites

·        Kenton County Cemetery Board, Linden Grove Cemetery, $25,000 – Install fencing

·        Laurel County Historical Society, Carter Cemetery, $4,234 – Clearing; grave fill; tree cutting and trimming; stone cleaning and repair; purchase of mower

·        Laurel County Historical Society, multiple sites, $23,542 – Countywide archival cemetery listing; install fencing; signage; landscaping

·        Laurel County Historical Society, Martin Cemetery, $6,210 – Construct retaining wall and fence

·        Lawrence County Cemetery Board, Pine Hill Cemetery, $25,000 – Initial cleanup; tombstone repair and cleaning; road improvements; landscaping

·        Lee County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $25,000 – Purchase of wide carriage plotter for cemetery mapping; cemetery repair and upkeep at prioritized sites

·        Lenoxburg Cemetery, Inc. (Bracken County), Lenoxburg Cemetery, $3,000 – Paving interior access roads

·        Leslie County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $25,000 – For research and GPS mapping; grade and gravel interior roads; signage

·        Lewis County Fiscal Court, multiple sites, $2,500 – Re-distribute funds to local applicants for the same range of eligible activities

·        Logan County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $18,578 – General cleanup; fence repair; tombstone cleaning and repair; landscaping; access road work; signage; purchase of preservation tools and equipment; plus, a two-day preservation workshop

·        London, Breastworks Hill Cemetery, $25,000 – Identify and mark unmarked graves; clean existing markers; reseeding and fertilizing; fencing; signage

·        Madison County Historical Society, Barnett Family Cemetery, $10,000 – Archaeological research; tombstone restoration; tree removal and landscaping; fencing; brochure and website development

·        Madison County Historical Society, Red Lick Cemetery, $2,500 – Tombstone resetting and repair; landscaping; signage

·        Mason County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $12,500 – Redistribute funds to local applicants for the same range of eligible activities

·        McDaniel Cemetery Association (Calloway County), McDaniel Cemetery, $5,000 – Boundary cleanup; fencing; fertilizing and seeding; tombstone cleaning and repair

·        Metcalfe County Historical Society, Rogers-Beauchamp Cemetery, $6,975 – Fencing;signage; repair of broken stones

·        Monroe County Economic Development Board, countywide, $2,500 – Inventory and assessment of all cemeteries in the county; long-term strategic plan for preservation and maintenance

·        Octagon Hall Foundation Ltd. (Simpson County), Octagon Hall Museum Cemetery, $3,284 – Clearing; fencing; landscaping; interpretive sign; construction of walking path; archeological probing; cleaning and setting fieldstone markers; documentation

·        Old Buck Creek Methodist Church (Allen County), Cemetery Grounds, $3,875 – Boundary survey and marking; clearing; fencing; interpretive sign

·        Owsley County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $25,000 – Historic research, access road repair; equipment purchase; cleanup and signage at sites to be selected from 300 identified

·        Paintsville, Town Cemetery, $10,000 – Cleanup; erect and stabilize fallen markers; repair markers and wall boundaries; construct walking path

·        Pleasant Hill Baptist Church (Trigg County), Old Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, $4,700 – Initial cleanup; fencing; equipment purchase; signage; filling; grading and drainage; access road improvement

·        Pulaski County Fiscal Court, multiple sites, $13,000 – Cleanup; rock wall repair; fencing; access road

·        Riverview Cemetery Association (Greenup County), $25,000 – Resetting and repairing tombstones; replacing fallen concrete wall

·        Robertson County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $3,000 – Redistribute funds to local applicants for the same range of eligible activities

·        Simpson County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $8,425 – Interior road improvements; fencing; stone straightening and cleaning; landscaping

·        Smith-Claxon Memorial Association (Greenup County), Smith-Claxon Cemetery, $6,126 – Tombstone repair and restoration; equipment purchase; install electrical service to shelter

·        Taylor County Cemetery Board, multiple sites, $4,000 – Clean and repair stones; replace broken stones; cleanup; fencing; signage

·        University of Kentucky Center for Historic Architecture and Preservation, Farnsley Family Cemetery (Jefferson County), $19,892 – Remove debris; document site; assess conditions; retrieve buried markers; stabilize, clean and repair markers; recommendations for landscaping and maintenance

·        Under the Magnolia Day Care, Halleck Chapel Cemetery (Caldwell County), $20,000 – Tree removal; bank stabilization; grave identification; fencing

·        Warren County Cemetery Board, Woodburn Cemetery, $6,329 – Interior road paving; tombstone leveling, repair and cleaning; mark unmarked graves; install water service

·        Winchester, Daniel Grove Cemetery, $25,000 – Signage; marker repair; road improvements; fencing

·        Wolfe County Cemetery Board, Old Campton Burying Grounds, $8,122 – Title opinion; survey; fencing

Counties may establish five-member county cemetery boards to apply for grants. Initially, state agencies, local governments, and certain nonprofit organizations – cemeteries, historical and genealogical groups, and local civic groups – also may apply. However, applications from county boards will receive funding priority.

The maximum grant that a group can receive is $25,000 and the minimum grant is $2,500.

A five-member state board oversees the program and makes funding decisions. The state board is chaired by the Commissioner of DLG and also represents the Kentucky Heritage Council, the Kentucky Historical Society, the Kentucky Association of Counties and the Kentucky African-American Heritage Commission.

The Department for Local Government is accepting grant applications for a second round of funding. Application deadline is March 31, 2004. For more information on the next funding cycle, phone Lee Creech at (502) 573-2382.