Most visitors to Clarksburg who take a drive down Philippi Street probably pay little attention to the cemetery they pass along the way. The overturned tombstones and the faded names add to the atmosphere which is shared by many other old cemeteries. But Jackson Cemetery is anything but typical. Because of the old burial grounds' history, one area civic group wants to make it look like the landmark that it is.
"We've been doing research on this since 1991, and there's so much more to come," said Dollie Bassel, president of the Jackson Memorial Cemetery Foundation. The newly formed non-profit organization is set to meet 2 p. m. today at Waldomore to discuss a major renovation project at the cemetery, Bassel said.
"Some people have visited here and were appalled at the condition of the cemetery," Bassel said. "I imagine that the very first thing we'll do is make a new entrance to the cemetery. It will be a place that will be handicapped accessible and a place where tour buses can drop people off. It will make it an attractive place." The club is now working with John Cooper, of the Clarksburg Board of Parks and Recreation, the city manager and other officials, Bassel said. They also have contracted with Larry Rine, president of SES Consultants Inc. His firm has more than 25 years of experience with historical and cemetery restoration projects.
And the cemetery should draw tourists because of its rich history, she said. The site originally was the orchard of the John Jackson, Stonewall Jackson's great-grandfather. In 1801 it became his burial place.
Soldiers from the Civil War were among the first to make the orchard into a cemetery. It also is the final resting place of the sister and mother of Dolley Madison, as well as other notable figures from American history. In the past, there were two other efforts to refurbish the cemetery. But the projects in 1950 and 1967 never were completed, Bassel said.
The current project was started by members of the Clarksburg Stonewall Jackson Civic Club, Bassel said.
"We established in the civic club a Heritage Committee," she said. "It's to preserve the history and heritage of this area so we can share it with future generations."
Members of the club had just finished working to have the new state office building in Clarksburg named after John W. Davis, when they came up with the idea. "When we finished (with the state building project), this was suggested because it is so much a part of the history of this area."
So, they started doing research. They discovered that the piece of ground has more history than is commonly known, she said.
"We're working on a brochure about the history of the cemetery," she said. "One of our greatest dreams is to publish a book about the stories of some of the people who are buried there."
Some of those stories would be about members of the Jackson family who are buried there. Others would surround the soldiers who vandalized the cemetery during the Civil War.
"A lot of stones were vandalized by Civil War soldiers," she said. "They even had their horses in the cemetery."
Still other stories likely would involve the Civil War soldiers buried there in unmarked graves.
Because of aging, many of the stones are almost unreadable, Bassel said. Restoring them might not be possible, but the committee has other options. "All of the stones cannot be repaired," she said. "So, we want to establish a memorial stone wall there. It's just an idea for now."
The club does not have a definite schedule for the project. It will proceed at its own pace, Bassel said.
The Article at Clarksburg Exponent Telegram's Web Site