City of Henderson funds improvements to aging cemetery

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — After a few requests from residents and the visible need to make some improvements, the city of Henderson has set aside money to make repairs to the city cemetery.

“It was discussed for a couple of years and they did come up with some funds — $5,000 in the previous year’s budget — to start doing some work,” Henderson City Recorder Jim Garland said.

This cemetery dates back to the early 1800s, and several stones are damaged due to age, weather and ground conditions. The city is expected to spend another $5,000 by the end of this year for repairs that otherwise wouldn’t be done.

“A lot of these families are no longer in Henderson. There’s no relatives here,” Garland said. “It was not going to be done unless the city did it.”

“Some of the monuments are broken and falling and some of them have become a safety hazard, so we want to make sure we address those areas first,” Alderman Johnny Farris said.

City leaders want to continue making repairs to make the grave site safer for visitors by replacing rusty fences and making repairs to the leaning monuments, projects the city of Henderson hopes to tackle by the end of the year.

Alderman Farris says they’ve received positive feedback from residents and hope they can keep the project going.

“I hope it will continue for years to come because we just want that to be a place for historical purposes, for people to come see and look around and got it to be presentable,” Farris said.

City leaders hope families who have loved ones in the city cemetery will help with the beautification efforts. Donations can be sent to city hall.