Recently, when Hal Barwick drove past the Greenwood Cemetery, located at the intersection of Strong Avenue and Mary Street, he was concerned by what he saw.
“It looked like a bomb had gone off. Markers were knocked down all over the place,” said Barwick, a resident of Minter City.
Some of the markers have been vandalized, and many others have simply fallen over due to the effects of time and weather, said Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams.
“We have done everything possible to preserve those markers,” she said. “They are old and crumbling. ... Once they fall or get pushed down, there is no way to repair them.”
The cemetery, which had been in bad condition — and was even used as a pasture for grazing cattle — was officially closed by the city in July 1904.
The cemetery is a historical site, and many of the graves go back as far as 200 years, McAdams said. A few years ago, the city purchased a chemical adhesive that was intended to help prevent marker cracks from spreading — but because of the ages of the markers, “once it starts crumbling, it can’t be helped,” she said
The city mows the cemetery and removes fallen limbs. Additionally, some of the family plot fencing had to be removed in order to gain access to nearby trees.
“We do the best we can,” McAdams said.
Referring to ancestors who have loved ones buried in the cemetery, the mayor said, “No family member is helping maintain it. Maybe they don’t want to take on that responsibility.”
Greenwood historian Donny Whitehead said the cemetery could be the victim of vandals, time or city mowing equipment. Once it was closed, residents began using the Odd Fellows Cemetery on Carrollton Avenue.
The cemetery continued to be a source of concern long after it was closed. An article from the Nov. 5, 1936, issue of the Commonwealth decried the cemetery’s condition at that time.
“Within the boundaries of this neglected spot lies the dust of many of the pioneers of this Delta land,” the article read. “The founders of the city of Greenwood lie buried there — men and women who sacrificed much and toiled unceasingly to carve a habitation for themselves and their descendants out of the wilderness. The names of these men and women, whose deeds are inseparably woven into the early history of Greenwood, should be preserved and enshrined in the memory of Greenwood citizens today. Instead, many of them are almost obliterated by time and weather on crumbling marble headstones. Their graves are over-run with brambles and vines, and they lie forgotten by the community, to their building of which they dedicated their lives.”
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
