Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries (OCHC) has awarded $62,360 in grants to 14 historic cemetery projects throughout the state through the Historic Cemeteries Grant program. The funds will help support preservation efforts, tree care and access. Individual award amounts ranged from $1,800 - $8,000.
Funded projects:
- Marker base repair at the Bonanza Memorial Park in Klamath County.
- Clean up and tree trimming at the Burch Family Cemetery in Polk County.
- Monument repair at the Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery in Coos Bay.
- Rail installation and weed removal at the McFarland Cemetery in Cottage Grove.
- Marker repair at the Dallas Cemetery in Polk County.
- Remove dead trees at the Gilmore Cemetery in Douglas County.
- Clean, reset and repair headstones at the Hubbard Cemetery in Marion County.
- Repair monuments at the Laurel Grove Cemetery in Lane County.
- Repair the access road at the Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Josephine County.
- Repair markers at the Providence Cemetery in Linn County.
- Monument repair at Riverside Cemetery in Albany.
- Repair markers at the Sand Ridge Cemetery in Linn County.
- Repair the fence, gate and some headstones at the Haystack Cemetery in Wheeler County.
- Repair monuments in the Lafayette Pioneer Cemetery in Yamhill County.
Historic cemeteries are documented by OCHC and must include the burial of at least one person who died 75 years before the current date.
The historic cemetery grant program is offered annually by the OCHC, part of the Oregon Heritage Program at Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD). The grant program is supported by lottery and other funds.
OCHC maintains a list of all pioneer and historic cemeteries in the state. The seven-member appointed commission helps people and organizations document, preserve and promote designated historic cemeteries statewide.
For more information about the grant program or the OCHC, visit www.oregonheritage.org or contact Kuri Gill at Kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-986-0685.