Posted 1:31 am Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Grave Markers Returned To Former Glory
By ADRIENNE GRAHAM
Staff Writer
One of the oldest cemeteries in Tyler is receiving a face-lift one stone at a time.
The historic Oakwood Cemetery on Palace Avenue, final resting place for a state governor, the founding families of Tyler and hundreds of Civil War soldiers, has seen better days.
But through the fundraising efforts of the Oakwood Cemetery Restoration Committee, the historical landmark is being pieced back together one chunk of granite at a time.
More than 200 crumbled, vandalized or deteriorated markers have already been repaired and returned to their proper position, committee chairman Maxine Hurbst said, and there are at least another 200 to go before the historic site is fully restored.
"These graves are so old (many dating back to the 1800s), that a lot of them don't have families to take care of them anymore," she said.
The graveyard was donated to the city in 1846. Therefore, the cemetery is city property and receives routine mowing and upkeep. The individual graves, however, are private property, and it is up to volunteers to protect their historic integrity, she said.
Staff Writer
One of the oldest cemeteries in Tyler is receiving a face-lift one stone at a time.
The historic Oakwood Cemetery on Palace Avenue, final resting place for a state governor, the founding families of Tyler and hundreds of Civil War soldiers, has seen better days.
But through the fundraising efforts of the Oakwood Cemetery Restoration Committee, the historical landmark is being pieced back together one chunk of granite at a time.
More than 200 crumbled, vandalized or deteriorated markers have already been repaired and returned to their proper position, committee chairman Maxine Hurbst said, and there are at least another 200 to go before the historic site is fully restored.
"These graves are so old (many dating back to the 1800s), that a lot of them don't have families to take care of them anymore," she said.
The graveyard was donated to the city in 1846. Therefore, the cemetery is city property and receives routine mowing and upkeep. The individual graves, however, are private property, and it is up to volunteers to protect their historic integrity, she said.
Maxine Herbst (left) and Rhonda Reagan, of the Oakwood Cemetery Restoration Committee, look at two of the grave markers that have been repaired and reset into the ground and another on the left that waits for repair.
Last year, the Oakwood committee raised more than $2,000 at their annual "Spirits of Oakwood" tour. The tour gives participants a glance at the lives of some of the most interesting and famous residents in the cemetery, as historians in period dress tell the stories of those they are portraying.
"Every penny of it has been put back into renovation," Ms. Hurbst said.
And she stressed that it is renovation - not restoration that the committee is interested in.
"We are not actually restoring anything to look new. We are putting the pieces back together," she said.
She said piecing the markers back together and researching the lives of those buried beneath helps them to uncover long lost tales of Tyler.
"This is history. This is where the history of Tyler and Smith County lies," she said.
Ms. Hurbst said the more restoration that is complete, the more stories they uncover.
After the first "Spirits of Oakwood" tour, a visitor recognized the name on one of the restored markers and was able to record the life story of the young Tyler woman.
"The visitor had seen the grave on the tour then remembered she had seen the same name, Katie Bannon, in a stack of letters that belonged to her grandmother," she said.
"Every penny of it has been put back into renovation," Ms. Hurbst said.
And she stressed that it is renovation - not restoration that the committee is interested in.
"We are not actually restoring anything to look new. We are putting the pieces back together," she said.
She said piecing the markers back together and researching the lives of those buried beneath helps them to uncover long lost tales of Tyler.
"This is history. This is where the history of Tyler and Smith County lies," she said.
Ms. Hurbst said the more restoration that is complete, the more stories they uncover.
After the first "Spirits of Oakwood" tour, a visitor recognized the name on one of the restored markers and was able to record the life story of the young Tyler woman.
"The visitor had seen the grave on the tour then remembered she had seen the same name, Katie Bannon, in a stack of letters that belonged to her grandmother," she said.
An 1883 tombstone for 9 year-old Mamie Pierce was found in the ground with no grave. After research, the child's grave was located in the Black area of the cemetery. After repair, the stone was set there. It is surmised that the child buried alone with no family markings died while traveling through Tyler.
"The visitor got back in touch with us, and now we know Katie was a 20-year-old girl who decided to take her own life rather than be forced into marriage with a man she did not love."
Rhonda Reagan, an Oakhurst committee member whose daughter now plays the part of Katie Bannon on the "Spirits of Oakwood" tour, said it is a story that touches her heart and one that never would have been retold if Oakwood was allowed to fade with time.
"It is not just about putting things back together. There is a lot of research involved," Ms. Reagan said.
Ms. Hurbst said the committee's work will still be far from over once all the markers are put back together.
The committee recently purchased a penetrometer - a device that will help them locate unmarked graves and attempt to research who is buried there.
"During the Civil War, a 300 by 300 foot lot was dedicated to unknown soldiers," she said. "The lot is much smaller than that now. We know that as there was a need for more space, the lot was infringed upon. We know there are people buried over people in the cemetery," she said.
Even if research cannot identify everyone in the cemetery, Ms. Reagan said they will at least place a marker to show that someone is there.
The next "Spirits of Oakwood" tour will be held March 29, 2008. Tour guides lead visitors through the historic cemetery, stopping at various graves where historians dressed in period clothing portray notable Tyler and Smith County citizens.
"It is definitely worth seeing, especially if they like history. You can walk through this cemetery and see the names of every school in Tyler and many of the streets," Ms. Reagan said.
Rhonda Reagan, an Oakhurst committee member whose daughter now plays the part of Katie Bannon on the "Spirits of Oakwood" tour, said it is a story that touches her heart and one that never would have been retold if Oakwood was allowed to fade with time.
"It is not just about putting things back together. There is a lot of research involved," Ms. Reagan said.
Ms. Hurbst said the committee's work will still be far from over once all the markers are put back together.
The committee recently purchased a penetrometer - a device that will help them locate unmarked graves and attempt to research who is buried there.
"During the Civil War, a 300 by 300 foot lot was dedicated to unknown soldiers," she said. "The lot is much smaller than that now. We know that as there was a need for more space, the lot was infringed upon. We know there are people buried over people in the cemetery," she said.
Even if research cannot identify everyone in the cemetery, Ms. Reagan said they will at least place a marker to show that someone is there.
The next "Spirits of Oakwood" tour will be held March 29, 2008. Tour guides lead visitors through the historic cemetery, stopping at various graves where historians dressed in period clothing portray notable Tyler and Smith County citizens.
"It is definitely worth seeing, especially if they like history. You can walk through this cemetery and see the names of every school in Tyler and many of the streets," Ms. Reagan said.
