Have received several questions about the upcoming workshop, it's wonderful to know that is such a huge interest! I am really hoping for a big turnout, (and nice weather) that day. This is the news release I have prepared to go out, please feel free to send the parts that apply and are of interest on to your local newspaper or others that might be interested. PS I am still very much interested in forming a Cemetery Commission Association, maybe this day will provide a chance for some of us to meet? Donna New Henry County Cemetery Commission News Release It has been only a few months since a group of individuals started working to organize a county cemetery commission and already the first board has been named. County Ordinance # 3-9-01 establishing the Henry County Cemetery Commission as authorized by Indiana Code #23-14-67, the Board of Commissioners of Henry County, Indiana, Philip J Estridge, Larry D. Hale and Donald Shaw was approved and adopted by a vote of 3 - 0 on the 19th day of September, 2001. That group will provide assistance to local officials in repairing and maintaining the county's numerous pioneer cemeteries. The new cemetery commission will consist of Donna Tauber, President; Doug Mathis, Vice President; Dr. Thomas Hamm, Secretary; Anne Holmes, Treasurer; and Mike Burch. All of the individuals had expressed interest in serving on the commission early on, officials said. The members will serve on the board voluntarily. Members will have staggered five-year terms on the board. The board members must be Henry County residents and will be appointed as required by the commissioners. The first meeting was held on December 13, 2001 at the Henry County Historical Society Museum. Plans are now to hold the meetings on the last Thursday of each month, alternating evening and afternoon meeting times in the courthouse annex. Cemetery Board Members have also approved the need to form an Advisory Board Committee made up of local residents, to help with research and to assist the Board. The formation of the cemetery commission came at the urging of some local residents, including history enthusiasts Bud Bush and Angela Tielking. They approached the commissioners in August and asked them to consider a group that could assist local authorities in restoring, cleaning and maintaining some of the county's oldest cemeteries. Many of the pioneer cemeteries established prior to 1850 are in desperate need of major restoration; Bush and Tielking told the commissioners. By having such a commission, they could pursue grant funding, volunteer workdays and other ideas to help restore some of the county's historical burial sites. The cemetery commission has been developed similar to those of other counties in Indiana. With the establishment of the commission and naming of members, the board can now begin their work. Many of these pioneer cemeteries are overgrown, are in disrepair or have all but been forgotten, tucked away in the middle of fields or woods. The cemetery commission now is making plans to start an asserted effort to improve several of these cemeteries. The regular maintenance of the cemeteries will remain with the trustees, however the group will offer assistance in garnering funds to use for more extensive projects such as gravestone repairs and major clean up work. Still in its infancy, the group is forging ahead with project proposals. The group will begin by targeting three specific cemeteries this year. On the list is Messick Cemetery in Blue River Township, Dunreith Cemetery just south of U.S. 40 and Wisehart Cemetery in Liberty Township. Sheriff Kim Cronk said inmates could be used for a variety of the clean-up operations, with the exception of those requiring chainsaw usage to cut trees. Commission officials said such a proposal would be beneficial to the group, which has limited funds. Those residents interested in lending a hand or getting involved in the group are welcome to attend the commission meetings held the last Thursday of each month. The times of the meetings will alternate from afternoon to evening hours. A Cemetery Preservation Workshop, funded by the town of Dunrieth, has been scheduled for Saturday May 11th beginning at 9 am. until about 4 p.m. Cemetery Restorationist John Walters of Fayette County will conduct the workshop. Walters was hired as the state's only cemetery restoration specialist in August 1996 and his work has yielded impressive results. Walters will be demonstrating restoration techniques with a hands-on workshop located in the Dunreith Cemetery and the Dunreith Community Building. Volunteers urged to attend the workshop, then assist in an all day effort to restore stones in this cemetery. The Dunrieth Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting a free will offering lunch, which will be hamburgers and hot dogs, with proceeds of lunch going toward their fundraising efforts to obtain a new fire truck for the Town of Dunrieth. The Dunreith Cemetery is located adjacent to the Penn-Central Railroad tracks and US 40 (Old National Road) on the southwest edge of the town of Dunreith on section 32 of Spiceland Township, Henry County. The town was originally known as Crum’s Spring, then as Coffin’ Station. The name was changed to Dunreith in 1866 in honor of Emory Dunreith Coffin (1824-1863), a pioneer merchant of the community. The Cemetery is immediately north of a grove of trees where the old Buck Creek Christian Church once stood. The church was founded in 1838 and occupied the site until the present church (renamed Dunreith Church) was erected in 1909. Many of the individuals buried in the Dunreith Cemetery were members of the old Buck Creek Church. The Friends also had a meetinghouse in Dunreith from 1867 until 1932 and no doubt several members of the old meeting are buried in the Cemetery. Since Dunreith is located along the National Road, a number of burials are of non-local origin. The first burial took place in 1834 and the last marked burial in 1939 and the last unmarked burial in about 1962. The church that is located there now is the Liberty Baptist Church. The cemetery is now in fairly good condition as it is maintained by the town, but in need of some restoration due to the deterioration of the stones. Several stones were extensively damaged January 1, 1968, at the time of the costly train wreck, explosion and fire in Dunreith. A total of 172 burials were recorded in the Dunreith Cemetery, 80 of which died before reached the age of 28. Joseph W. Abrams, Pendleton Bullen, J.A. Crickmore, Thomas J. Johnson, Dallas Lawson, and C.H.G. Moore, all veterans of the Civil War, are also buried in the Cemetery. Donations for this cemetery, as well as others in Henry County may be made to the Henry County Auditor, Pioneer Cemetery Fund. Please specify if you wish the money to go toward a certain cemetery. At this time, all preservation projects rely on donations, and are also tax deductible. Ulysses (Bud) Bush and Donna Tauber recently succeeded in gaining national recognition for the new commission, when they where featured in a news article for the need for these cemetery restorations in The New York Times on December 24th of last year.