The Greenwood MS Cemetery Association, which operates Odd Fellows Cemetery and Odd Fellows East Cemetery, has embarked on a number of improvements designed to beautify the burial sites.
The association, which includes representatives from 10 Greenwood churches, took over the cemeteries in October 2012. The Odd Fellows lodge was down to a few members, and “what we wanted to do immediately is enhance the appearance of both cemeteries,” said Gene Stansel, who edits the association’s semi-annual newsletter.
Odd Fellows Cemetery, located on Carrollton Avenue, was established in 1899 and has a maximum capacity of 12,880 graves. Odd Fellows East has two parcel on U.S. 82 East and a maximum capacity of 13,000 graves.
Stansel said the association has undertaken an extensive campaign of tree trimming and removal at Odd Fellows.
Recently, a wrought-iron fence was installed along a portion of the cemetery’s boundary on Carrollton Avenue. Plans call for the replacement of the old stone fence running along Carrollton Avenue with a wrought-iron one.
In addition, gravel has been added to the roadways, and weeds have been controlled by nourishing the cemetery’s Bermuda grass, he said.
At Odd Fellows East, all the cemetery’s uneven gravesites were filled in. Boy Scouts Hardy Vemer and Nored Hardin, who were working on their Eagle Scout requirements, helped with landscaping at the cemetery over the past year.
Drainage at Odd Fellows East was also substantially improved over that period.
Stansel said the association has stopped spraying Roundup herbicide around family and individual markers in an effort to beautify the markers. He said spraying produces bare spots around the markers. When it rains, water collects, and the stones turn and get out of alignment due to the excessively damp conditions.
Plans include a possible expansion of the mausoleum at Odd Fellows and the possible addition of a columbarium.
The association is continuing to document the locations of graves in both cemeteries.
“What we’re trying to do is build a list of those who have family interred there. Those are our primary donors,” Stansel said.
He said the association needs a steady inflow of donations from the community.
Donations made to the association for general upkeep are tax-deductible. They may be mailed to the Greenwood MS Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 1934, Greenwood, MS 38935.
“We have tried to heighten the community’s awareness of the value of the cemeteries,” he said. ‘We want to pay homage to those who have died.”
Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
