Changes to the Program

Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, the Adopt-a-Plot program at Prospect Hill Historic Cemetery and Arboretum has had significant success in recent years. 

Quite a few people adopted specific parcels and kept them well manicured. However, much of our success was due to a large number of volunteers who came to our cleanup events and worked wherever they were needed. So we are tweaking the program this year, starting with its name - Adopt-A-Plot is now WeedWorkers.

We will continue to welcome volunteers who would like to adopt a section of the cemetery to maintain throughout the growing season (more below) but the WeedWorkers program will concentrate on the western half of the grounds this year and emphasize working together to keep it looking good from now until the snow flies.

 
The Reason

Prospect Hill Cemetery has experienced the fickleness of humanity numerous times through its 160+ years of existence. Bouts of neglect, instances of vandalism, and abandonment on 3 separate occasions has left Prospect Hill with many scars.
 
Some of these scars you can see - the broken columns of the Four Boys monument lying on the ground. The missing flower pot from the center of Dan Allen's monument where Anna Wilson once left fragrant beauties for her lost love. We can almost feel the cold shadow of the missing statue that once stood vigil atop the massive Spanish American War monument. 

Keeping the cemetery maintained while promoting and sharing the history and art that lives here is one way to ward against further detriment to the burial ground. 

After all, Prospect Hill is a memorial garden. It must be tended with care.

How you can help
Whether you want to join us during a clean up event and work with us as a team, or care for a specific plot throughout the growing season on your own, Prospect Hill Cemetery and its board of directors appreciates your time and effort.

Our clean-up dates will be listed on our event calendar, rain-dates will be removed or verified as time tells their fate.

To volunteer outside of our regularly scheduled clean-up days, please contact Shannon Justice by email at [email protected], or by phone at (816) 616-9162.
The Dirty Work

With a new name we have a new structure! Task teams have been identified to help focus efforts.
  • Weed Whackers – Trim any and all grass/weeds immediately around headstones or other markers (or even fragments of markers) that could damage a lawnmower blade if the mower were to run over them. Mulberry shoots and other persistent stalks should be left for the ShrubBubs crews to eliminate once and for all.
  • Pickup Patrol – Rake or pick up grass, leaves, sticks and/or litter, pile it on a tarp, in yard waste bags or a garbage can, and drag to the dumpster or designated debris pile. We have a few tarps in case you don’t.
  • Chainsaw Gang – If there are any large downed limbs, cut them into manageable pieces and haul by pickup to the dumpster or designated pile. We also occasionally have tree trunk sections that need to be split for removal.
  • Tree Whisperers – There are some very small trees we have planted in the last two years that need to be weeded by hand, mulched and sprayed with rabbit repellent. We have the mulch and repellent
  • Dumpster Detail – During spring and fall in particular, we need two or three people to manage the loading of debris into the dumpster to maximize the amount we can fit in.
  • ShrubBubs – These are two-person crews, one to cut mulberry stalks around graves and the other to put a drop of two of Tordon on the fresh cut. We have Tordon.
  • Garden Guardians – We have garden beds around the house that often need weeding.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the Suburban Rotary Club members who continue their volunteering efforts to clean up Prospect Hill Cemetery!

Contact

For more information or to get involved, contact Shannon Justice at [email protected] or David Harding at [email protected].

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