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City gets grant to preserve School St. cemetery; project to preserve history, draw heritage visitors
"This award will continue our progress in preserving our history and using that history as a tourism draw," Burns said. Washington's grant award was the largest of the six awarded across Georgia, and Washington was the smallest city awarded funds. "This shows me that our heritage and tourism appeal is equal to that of Macon, Kennesaw, Roswell, and Rome," Burns said. The School Street Cemetery project will include a cemetery plot survey, a condition assessment, development of a preservation plan, development of a heritage tourism plan, and development of a heritage tourism brochure. "This grant award gives us the best of both worlds. It helps us to honor and dignify those who have helped to build our town. It also helps us to reach out to new tourism markets who can experience the strength and character of Washington," Burns said. According to Historic Preservation Division Director Dr. Ray Luce, cemetery preservation is a high priority for Georgia's citizens. "It is our hope that with these sub-grants, we will assist communities in preserving and interpreting their historic cemeteries for both local citizens and heritage tourists. Studies have shown that historic cemeteries attract a variety of visitors - genealogists and those who appreciate local history; those who enjoy the artwork and sculpture; those who enjoy the landscape architecture; and those seeking gravesites of famous people," he explained. The project will begin later this month and be completed by the end of the year. The mayor's office is interested in speaking with anyone who has information on the history of the School Street Cemetery or information on those interred in the cemetery. Contact the Main Street/ Better Hometown office at 706-678- 4654 for additional details.
The sub-grants, totaling $60,000, are part of a larger grant of $86,000 the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources received last spring from the Preserve America initiative to fund a three-pronged statewide cemetery preservation effort, entitled "Campaign to Preserve Georgia's Historic Cemeteries." The remaining funds will be used to produce a cemetery publication and to sponsor a statewide cemetery conference in fall 2007.
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