On Wednesday, Piqua resident Della Shaffer was lamenting the gravesites of Civil War veterans overgrown with vegetation.
Thursday, volunteers and Spring Creek Township crews were helping to clear a path at Jackson Cemetery.
One example is a Civil War veteran’s marker that was obscured by pine tree branches. Now, it’s possible to walk underneath the tree, where an American flag has been placed atop the grave.
“It’s just important to me, just respect,” said Bruce Johnson, an Ohio National Guard veteran who said he had to step up after learning of the condition of a part of the cemetery. “If you want something done, sometimes you have to do it yourself and you have to jump in.”
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He showed up to Jackson Cemetery around 9 a.m. Thursday and started clearing brush around grave markers. He got help from a couple other volunteers and a Spring Creek Twp. maintenance crew.
“They say veterans are like brothers and they take care of each other, and I think that’s proof right there,” Shaffer said.
She was thrilled to see all the progress made. Mounds of branches and weeds were cleared for at least six markers, five of them believed to be Civil War veterans.
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“I feel fantastic. The goal was to get this done by Memorial Day. It has been done. It is 99 percent better than what it was,” she said.
Shaffer said the American Legion is now working with her to locate and identify some of the headstones.
FIRST REPORT (May 23)
Jackson Cemetery just outside Piqua is home to Civil War veterans and other African-Americans who were born slaves but died free.
The cemetery has been a historical landmark for the last 10 years.
However, of concern to Piqua resident Della Shaffer is that some of these historical gravesites are overrun by brush.
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She knows of nine veterans buried here and has seen at least five headstones in the woods.
“I think it’s very disrespectful and it’s kind of sad to think this is their final resting place after giving service to our country,” Shaffer said.
“We are Americans. These are veterans of the Civil War. These are men that served under Abraham Lincoln.
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“I would love to have this cleared up by Memorial Day out of respect for them. But sometimes things take time,” she said.
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