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December 2, 2009

Recovering History

Crew of men clean up McHargue Cemetery

By Becky Manley / Staff Writer

Chainsaws buzzed into trees, weeds were slashed and history was uncovered Tuesday at McHargue Cemetery in Corbin.

Included among the abandoned cemetery’s graves was a marker for Calvin Rick, a member of Company E, 32nd Kentucky Infantry.

A tree had grown around Rick’s gravestone, which could only be approached by battling thorns and walking over uneven ground.

McHargue Cemetery is among about 40 abandoned cemeteries that need to be cleaned, according to Roy Siler, chairman of the Whitley County Cemetery Board and librarian for the Whitley County Historical Society.

While the county has cleaned several cemeteries since March, many remain to be cleared and his list keeps getting longer, Siler said.

“Every time we go and clear a cemetery someone usually tells us about another one,” Siler said.

McHargue Cemetery, located at the end of Chestnut Street near the city’s water tower, was added to Siler’s list about six months ago when a woman reported its condition to the historical society, Siler said.

A crew of several men, most of whom were Whitley County Jail inmates, worked among the cemetery’s 20 known graves, though more may exist.

While observing the ongoing work Tuesday, Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White said workers found bricks that may have been used to mark graves.

“Some of the graves in these old cemeteries aren’t really marked,” White said.

The cleanup at McHargue Cemetery was expected to take at least a day, Siler said. Only hours into the task, Siler said the grave of a soldier who died in 1915 was found.

Siler said the oldest known gravestone in the cemetery belongs to James McHargue, who died in 1902.

Although the county pays for equipment costs related to the cleanups, Siler said the county allocates no other money for the work.

Siler said donations are accepted to pay to feed the cemetery work crews. He hopes to obtain a grant to clean and install a fence at Preston C. Berry Cemetery in Corbin, which contains the grave of a Revolutionary War soldier.

Once a cemetery is cleaned Siler, who keeps before and after photos of the cemeteries, said it’s not possible for the county to maintain them. He hopes individuals and neighbors will volunteer to do the upkeep.

Brushing algae from the floral design etched in McHargue’s gravestone, which dwarfs the cemetery’s other markers, Siler admitted he loves old cemeteries.

“It’s a good feeling to clean them,” Siler said.

TO HELP

To donate money to feed work crews who clean Whitley County’s abandoned cemeteries, call Roy Siler, chairman of the Whitley County Cemetery Board, at 344-8910.

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