Bringing in donations of nearly $1,000 to maintain and replace headstones at the Woodland/Old City Cemetery, Jefferson City's Cemetery Resources Board made safety a priority.
The board recently hosted a Historic Cemetery Walking Tour with docents from the Governor's Mansion. From the more than 150 visitors, donations were made to install nine new headstones and one name engraved on the "Gone but not Forgotten" monument in Old City Cemetery.
The remainder of the tour's proceeds will be added to the small operating account dedicated to city-owned cemeteries.
The bulk of the 2016 operating budget has been dedicated to the repair of 10 specific headstones. The work will include leveling, sealing, reassembling and restoring the headstones to an upright position.
The board discussed potential uses for its small budget, about $2,000, including educational signs and additional replacement stones.
However, the board eventually agreed its fiscal priority is to prevent further deterioration, especially those issues that present a safety hazard.
Chairman Nancy Thompson will walk through the cemetery and
identify priority projects for the 2017 fiscal year.
The board hopes as it continues to raise awareness about the historical value and physical needs of the cemetery, it will receive further donations.
Before the board's August meeting, co-chairman Tim Theroff will research the costs and possibility of adding QR codes with tombstone-specific history.
Currently, information about those interred there is stored online at findagrave.com.
The tour, which included storytellers in period costume and historic placards for more than 50 interred there, "brought new life to the cemetery," said Theroff.
"We need to get people interested in coming out for a self-guided tour."