FREDERICKTOWN – The Old Fredericktown Cemetery Preservation Project (OFCPP) will host Jon Appell, founder of the National Gravestone Preservation Tour, on Saturday, Aug. 29.
"My four-times-great-grandparents are buried in the cemetery," Krista Horrocks, a professional archaeologist and cemetery researcher with OFCPP, said. "Jon [Appell] asked if he could do his Ohio workshop in Fredericktown, so I helped make the arrangements. I was a co-founder of the Old Fredericktown Cemetery Preservation Project back in 2017."
Horrocks, a Fredericktown native, coordinates the preservation efforts with the village, which owns the cemetery. More than 60 people have shown interest in Saturday's restoration event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Old Fredericktown Cemetery. The cemetary is located at the intersection of Burgett Drive and Oak Street in Fredericktown.
"Yes, everyone is a volunteer," Horrocks said. "A lot of our volunteers have ancestors buried in the cemetery. Yes, we have trained with a local preservationist to follow correct methods of restoration."
But Horrocks also encourages anyone with an interest in history or preserving antiquities, or who just wants a day out in the fresh air, to stop by; because large numbers of hands are welcome.
"We'll take anyone who is interested in helping!" she said. "And Jon is teaching a workshop every place he goes, so everyone who joins will get training!"
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