In its’ first ten years, Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery has achieved much and succeeded in its attempt at reducing the damage to the cemetery caused by vandals and neglect. Metro, the agency responsible for the cemetery, recently acknowledged our partnership at a Metro council meeting. Our annual Halloween event, the Tour of Untimely Departures, has proven to be the largest event held on any of Metro’s properties, and as such has garnered the team accolades and the cemetery a higher profile at Metro than it has ever had. Ten years ago, the cemetery was viewed as a problem. Now, Metro understands what a cultural icon it has in its care. Vandalism is much reduced due to the watchful eyes of the neighbors and increased visitation to the cemetery.
Now that Friends has put the cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places and the state historic cemeteries registry, grants are accessible to help Friends meet its mission – ‘Education, Preservation, Restoration’ – in ever expanding ways. This website is the result of a grant made possible in part by the generous donation of time by the graphic artists at Dangerr Creative. This and other successful partnerships and projects have laid a foundation for future projects as well.
Metro is planning to launch the effort to raise funds for memorials to the immigrant Chinese laborers and asylum inmates buried at Lone Fir some time in the spring. Friends of Lone Fir and numerous other sponsors will be working together to raise the million or so dollars required to bring this to fruition. The film documentary ‘Come Together Home’ will help spread awareness of the story through special screenings scheduled during the year.
The Heritage Tree Program has nominated our own Lone Fir for inclusion on this prestigious list. A summer event in the cemetery will combine the Heritage Tree award with the Midsummer Night at Lone Fir, Friends’ signature stage production relating local history through the mouths of characters in costume. The theme this year will be tree related, with information about other special trees in the cemetery, including the ‘stone forest’ of Woodsmen of the World memorials.
The recovery of Lone Fir Cemetery’s only angel, stolen in the 1980’s, necessitates a very delicate restoration process that is just beginning. Our monument repair team will also give workshops as well as continue the repair of the many damaged monuments in the cemetery. With the addition of the new ‘Headstone Hospital’ on the cemetery grounds, the heavy work of repair has become much simpler, enabling more work in this area.
The education component of the mission will be met through giving tours and community service opportunities to numerous student groups, presentations for groups at outside events, private group tours and information tables at events around town. A busy year seems like a good way to begin the next decade for Friends of Lone Fir.
