Preservation Experts Visit East Park Cemetery
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Members of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation recently visited the East Park Cemetery in Vidalia to learn about the progress that has been made in the cemetery’s restoration.
The historic East Park Cemetery, located at 909 Fifth Avenue, lies in the heart of Vidalia and holds much of the city’s history, as individuals born as early as 1800 are buried on the cemetery grounds. Over the past several years, the Enhancing Low Income Communities Economically (E.L.I.C.E.) group has worked to begin restoring the grounds and preserve history, as they have cleaned and cleared areas, located graves, and worked to develop a catalog of continued from page
all the individuals buried within the area.
Last May, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation awarded $5,000 to E.L.I.C.E. for the project as a part of a grant distribution that awarded to 15 total historic sites within the state. The East Park Cemetery preservation was the only project awarded the grant in the area, and earmarked the money for mapping and restoration work.
On Tuesday, February 24, Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Senior Director of Preservation and Legislative Advocacy Ben Sutton and Revolving Fund and Easements Coordinator Charlotte Zinck traveled to Vidalia to see the progress which had been made in the cemetery through the help of the grant. Members of E.L.I.C.E., Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper, and Vidalia City Manager Josh Beck attended the meeting, as the group informed Sutton and Zinck of the historic graves that had been discovered, the progress on creating a catalog of the individuals buried on the premises, and the next steps to continuing to improve the area.
During the meeting, Rodney Wiggins and his mother Melissa Williams showcased the work that they had done to map graves throughout the cemetery. “There is approximately 1,125 graves that I can see. I don’t know what’s in those empty spaces [on the edges of the property] because we haven’t done the radar back there,” – explained. “Our goal is to get this digitized and put a kiosk out here. That way, if loved ones want to come and find their loved one but they don’t know where they are, they can type their name in and see where they are.”
He told the group that several of the individuals had been born in the 1800s, and the group had created a slideshow tribute to those who were born into slavery but died in freedom.
Wiggins also shared that he was working on plans to honor unmarked graves, and had reached out to a company about making bricks to mark these graves and honor those who have passed on.
During the visit, East Park Cemetery Clean-up Chairman James Jermon took Sutton and Zinck on a walking tour of the cemetery, as he recounted the clean-up work that had been done to clear brush and trees that had overtaken graves.
The East Park Cemetery Clean-up is just one part of the greater work that E.L.I.C.E. is doing to restore the area around Martin Luther King Jr. Ave and highlight the neighborhood’s history. “There’s 15 to 17 historic sites on MLK Ave.,” E.L.I.C.E. Executive Director Ronald Miller remarked. “So, what we are doing is to have these areas highlighted with a star on the sidewalk, like they do in Hollywood. There’s a lot of history here, and the reason why I know so much is because I was brought up here right here on Washington Street [in the neighborhood].”
He continued, “We have 11 churches involved in the effort, and we have congregations from each of those churches that come together to work on this. We’ve been planning this for two years, and we have come a long way in two years.” Miller shared that both the City of Vidalia and Vidalia City School System has been supportive in the work, as Superintendent Sandy Reid was working to help get student volunteers to aid in the effort.
Some of the historic sites that are planned to be highlighted are churches, J.D. Dickerson’s historic home, and more.
For more information on E.L.I.C.E., or to volunteer in the effort, call (478) 361-0777, or email elicerrm@ gmail.com.
CHECKING ON PROGRESS – Members of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation visited the East Park Cemetery in Vidalia on Tuesday, February 24, to check on E.L.I.C.E.’s progress mapping and restoring the area. L to R: Franklin Williams, Carl Wardlaw, Mayor Doug Roper, E.L.I.C.E. Executive Director Ronald Miller, East Park Cemetery Restoration Chair James Jermon, Revolving Fund and Easements Coordinator Charlotte Zinck, Senior Director of Preservation and Legislative Advocacy Ben Sutton, Willie Edwards.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
MARKING GRAVES – E.L.I.C.E. Members Rodney Wiggins (center) and Melissa Williams (right) show Mayor Doug Roper (left) the bricks which may be potentially used to mark currently unmarked graves.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
CHURCHES COMING TOGETHER – Several churches have come together to support E.L.I.C.E. and the East Park Cemetery project, and the group prays before every cleanup or event.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
