Eventually, the vault will be used as a museum and learning center for the historic cemetery, she said. Some of the city’s “founding fathers” are buried in the cemetery, including the Dotys, Tytuses and Palmers, she said.
Grant applications are being filed, and the board is seeking private donations to help cover the cost of this effort, according to Morrison. The goal is to have the vault project completed this year, she said.
The board has made “major improvements” in the cemetery, thanks to grants and volunteer efforts from the Middletown community, Morrison said.
An electronic gate was installed a few weeks ago at the cemetery. The gate automatically opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. seven days a week, she said.
Before the automatic gate, workers at Denny Lumber, which is located next to the cemetery, unlocked and locked the gate during the week, and board members handled the task on weekends and holidays.
The cemetery board has overseen several major projects at the historical site.
The board raised nearly $70,000 in grants and private donations to keep the 120-year-old vault standing by securing the stone work so it would not be torn down, Morrison said.
The board also received a grant from Middletown Community Foundation to restore 100 broken and damaged tombstones. Numerous old and diseased trees were removed last year by Duke Energy and the Middletown Tree Commission.
Community groups have also volunteered at the cemetery. Students from the Middletown Freshman Academy have planted flower pots by the vault, cleaned up the Doty family plot, and picked up 20 bags of trash and leaves from the fence lines in the cemetery. The students are scheduled to return April 12.
Boy Scout Troop 572 places a marker and flag on each of the 238 veterans’ graves in the cemetery the Saturday before Memorial Day, Morrison said. Veterans from all the wars through the Vietnam War are buried in the cemetery, Morrison said.
Besides Morrison, the board includes Steve Bohannon, chairman, Mitchell Ballard, Fred Tyson and Josh Toms. The board was created in October 2010 by the Middletown City Council in order to advise the City of Middletown about the needs of the cemetery.
To learn more about contributing to the fund, contact Morrison at 513-423-6017 or da120757@yahoo.com.
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