The Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County will have the final Tombstone Tuesday of the season with a cleaning day for volunteers at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the Union Benevolent Society Cemetery on Vine Street.
“… this cemetery was established in 1866 by the Union Benevolent Society, an organization of newly freed African Americans just after the conclusion of the Civil War. 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,” a museum representative said in a press release.
Often called the Vine Street Cemetery, it is the burial site for hundreds of Black residents, including veterans of the Civil War.
Volunteers will get a “brief training on respectful cemetery etiquette and on how to document and clean historic tombstones safely before grabbing a bucket and brush.”
There’s no cost to participate, and the museum provides cleaning supplies. Everyone is encouraged to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. The cemetery is on Vine Street directly across from Dupuy Street.
