A group of volunteers is working to refurbish and restore the monuments in the Oakland Cemetery and are seeking community donations to help fund the project.
The Oakland Cemetery Monuments Restoration Committee was established last year and has been working to examine and identify stones, monuments, and markers that have deterioration or damage. Committee volunteers have spent countless hours to inspect the cemetery and dive into the history that lies under the gravestones and monuments.
“This is the final resting place of many people who built the Town of Oakland,” said committee chairman, Art Wolfe. “Many of the graves date back before the Civil War.”
The committee has also made several attempts to contact the families and living descendants of those whose final resting place is at the historical cemetery. Those families are encouraged to assist in the upkeep and repairs of privately owned and deeded cemetery lot sites. The committee hopes the donated funds can be used to repair those plots that no longer have descendants to care for them.
Weathering, aging, neglect, vandalism, and abandonment are some of the reasons for the state of the cemetery.
If anyone is interested in volunteering on the Oakland Cemetery Monuments Restoration Committee they invite you to their next meeting held on Thursday, May 20th at 5pm at the roundabout in the cemetery.
Donations to the Oakland Cemetery Monuments Restoration Committee can be sent to the Town of Oakland at 15 S. Third St., Oakland, MD 21550. Checks should be made payable to: Oakland Cemetery Monuments Project. All questions should be directed to the committee chairman, Art Wolf, at 301-616-5454.
