Give Hopkinsville history a good scrub at tombstone cleaning days

Community members who would like to “scrub the dirt off a bit of history” are invited to help clean tombstones at Union Benevolent Society Cemetery on Vine Street.

The Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County will lead four tombstone cleanings over the next few months. The first is scheduled at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 21.

“Folks will receive a brief training on respectful cemetery etiquette and on how to document and clean historic tombstones safely before grabbing a bucket and brush,” Alissa Keller, executive director of the museums, said in a press release.

Participants will learn about Hopkinsville history while making the community a “brighter place,” said Keller.

The Union Benevolent Society, a fraternal organization created following the emancipation of slaves, established the cemetery in Hopkinsville. The earliest burials were recorded in the 1870s, although three headstones for children who died in 1859 suggest that at least part of the cemetery was originally a private burial site for the Bell family of Hopkinsville. The last recorded burials at UBS occurred in the middle of the 20th century. The city of Hopkinsville now owns and maintains the cemetery.

“The group was one of several Black benevolent societies locally and nationally. It served the purpose of financially caring for widows and orphans and for providing a burial place for its members.” the release states. “… this site is the final resting place of hundreds of local people including dozens of African American veterans of the Civil War.”

Museum staff will train volunteers on “respectful cemetery etiquette” and how to document and safely clean historic tombstone.

After the May event, the next cleanings will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24. More information is available by calling the museum at 270-887-4270.

Jennifer P. Brown

Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.