DONATIONS SOUGHT FOR CEMETERY

COMMERCE -- The Commerce Historical Society is trying to raise money and get volunteers to clean up a cemetery believed to be nearly 200 years old.

Historical society secretary Dixie High said: "As far as anyone knows it was started back in the early 1800s. There are some civil war veterans buried up there. Sen. John Coffman is buried up there. He served in the State Senate from 1890 to 1894, when he passed away.

"In one article we have the oldest headstone anyone had found up there was from 1801. Some of the newer articles say around 1840."

The cemetery is on a hill in the community. Recent clean-up efforts have been hampered because the roads leading to the area are in bad shape.

The effort received a boost recently when a woman who has arranged to be the last person buried there donated $100 to the cleanup.

"She's got relatives buried up there too, and she's been concerned about it," High said. "And she's tickled to death that we're doing something."

More than 250 people may have been buried in the six-block cemetery, High said. The last person was buried there in 1983, just after the most recent cleanup of the cemetery.

"The vines have taken over again, and what we're doing is setting up a fund so it will have continuous care," High said. "We would like to raise $3,000 to $4,000 to put into a trust fund. But we would like to get a lot of people to help go up there and cut down the underbrush and do physical labor. Once we get it done then it should be easy to keep it up."

The cemetery had been prone to vandalism. All the wrought-iron fences that bordered the graves have been stolen.

"It's so overgrown now that no one can find anything," High said. "I guess that's one thankful thing about it: If they can't find it they can't do anything to it."

So far 10 people have volunteered to help clear the land. "One woman who said she'd go help is recovering from open-heart surgery," High said. "I don't know how much she can do but we sure appreciate the offer."

She said she was looking into whether Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell would be able to bring county inmates out to help. Shirley Young, a member of Scott City's Historical Society, said even if the sheriff was able to supply prisoners for the cleanup, High may be better off finding another solution.

"The problem with that is if they bring prisoners out somebody has to follow along with them every step of the way," Young said. "The way our society is set up, if they get hurt they can sue you. So it isn't very beneficial.

"What they should do is get some Eagle Scouts who are looking to earn a merit badge. Now those people really work."

High hopes to have a volunteer group together by late February or early March. "We'd like to get up there before the snakes come out again," she said.

Donations can be offered by calling High at 264-3960.