12 Month Update
In the first 12 months of work at Western Heights Cemetery, we have logged approximately 2,000 volunteer hours. Half of those were spent on the physical landscape and the other half was spent on historical research.
We've spent about $1150 on plants and about $200 on tools.
Progress
In just the short 12 months that the literally world-famous Western Heights Cemetery has been one of the 5 pilot cemeteries in the Constellation of Living Memorials, we have accomplished the following:
Identified stakeholders (see attached), and drafted governing documents
Headstones mapped with database and GPS locations by Texas Cemetery Restorations
Topographic survey completed
All trees mapped
Grave research and database reconciliation and merge by research volunteers
Cemetery-wide Veterans Day observance reinstituted
Many descendants identified, located, contacted, and involved
First annual Descendants Day homecoming event held with attendees coming from as far away as Houston
All headstones professionally cleaned
Physical condition of all stones logged
Five Facebook accounts created for the cemetery (History, Nature, Arts, Volunteers, and Visitor Information) and one for the surrounding neighborhood itself
Landmark status filing preparation begins to protect cemetery from developers
Cemetery-wide Memorial Day observance reinstituted
Created an extensive walking trail system over the two acres
Purchased and installed benches (our start thanks to a tourist from Alaska with mobility issues who upon her return home sent us a $120 donation and urged that it be used to buy a bench so those with mobility issues can rest during their walk)
Employed three local (literally across the street) residents part-time at $20/$25 an hour to assist with landscape maintenance to increase community involvement
Multiple birdhouses & birdfeeders added
Living Biographies first performed
First annual Volunteer of the Year Award presented
Memorial Plaza dedicated
Project begun to repair all stones
Numerous free one hour tours given
Plans
In addition to the installation of butterfly gardens, our near-term plans include:
Seeding of native wildflowers
Removal of dead and unsafe trees
Installation of water meter and multiple faucets
Planting floweing understory trees
Additional history storytelling performances
Non-amplified choral music
Poetry walks
Theatre
Adding Spanish language tours
Adding monthly American Sign Language tours for the hearing impared
Adding monthly tours for the vision impaired
Adding a bike rack
Possible public art (mural for the retaining wall along Fort Worth Avenue)