|
Oak
Grove Cemetery receives statewide award
for rehabilitation
Final
resting place of historic Georgia figures
restored
ATLANTA—The
Oak Grove Cemetery in Americus received an
award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
from The Georgia Trust for Historic
Preservation at its annual meeting April
17 in Savannah.
Opened
in 1856, the Oak Grove Cemetery is the
final resting place of many of Georgia’s
historic figures, from state chief
justices and an 1865 candidate for
governor to soldiers from the Native
American, Mexican and Civil wars. The
cemetery is in use today, but after nearly
150 years, it was beginning to show its
age. In 2001, the city of Americus
partnered with the Sumter Historic
Trust and the Town Committee of the
Colonial Dames to help restore the site
and make it a more inviting place for
visitors. The work included completely
restoring the c. 1900 sexton’s office
and the c. 1880 fish pool and garden. More
than 300 graves were reconstructed using
original brick whenever possible, and the
cemetery’s twenty-six cast iron fences
and gates were rebuilt and painted, using
metal detectors and probes to uncover
missing parts.
Today,
over fifty historic marble and granite
monuments have been reconstructed. The
fish pool is restocked with goldfish and
native plants and the cemetery is adorned
with forty-three native trees and 136
camellia plants, once again making Oak
Grove a peaceful resting place for many
important Georgia figures.
The
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation,
founded in 1973, is the country’s
largest statewide, nonprofit preservation
organization, with more than 8,000
members. For more than 20 years the Trust
has recognized preservation projects and
individuals in the state who have made
significant contributions to the field of
historic preservation. Awards are
presented on the basis of the
contributions of the person or project to
the community and/or state and on
compliance to the Secretary of the
Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Excellence
in Rehabilitation awards recognize
projects that make compatible use of a
building through repair, alterations or
additions while preserving features of the
property that convey its historic value.
This year the Trust presented 16
Excellence in Rehabilitation awards.
Committed
to preserving and enhancing Georgia’s
communities and their diverse historic
resources for the education and enjoyment
of all, The Georgia Trust generates
community revitalization by finding buyers
for endangered properties acquired by its
Revolving Fund, provides design assistance
to 46 Georgia Main Street cities and
encourages neighborhood revitalization;
trains Georgia’s teachers to engage
students in 51 Georgia school systems to
discover state and national history
through their local historic resources;
and advocates for funding, tax incentives
and other laws aiding preservation
efforts. The Georgia Trust is a recipient
of the Trustees Award for Organizational
Excellence from the National Trust for
Historic Preservation.
# # #
|
