The first official caretaker of the cemetery was hired by the City of Lynchburg in 1866. He was paid $100 a year, and was only responsible for the care of the Confederate section. Over the years the role of the caretaker expanded to include digging graves and maintaining the entire cemetery. The caretaker was variously called superintendent, keeper, sexton, and foreman.
Dates?Name???Residence
1866-1868?B.F. Fortune???off-site
1875-1877?Henry Kelly???off-site
1877-1888?John T. Mason???400 Taylor St.
1888-1889?Thomas Jefferson Anderson???400 Taylor St.
1888-1895?James A. Marks???400 & 402 Taylor St.
1895-1897?Newton J. Farmer???400 Taylor St.
1898-1900?Uriel Hillman???400 Taylor St.
1900-1902?E.S. Oglesby???400 Taylor St.
1903-1910?Anselm J. Hewitt???400 Taylor St.
1915-1926?Col. James Watts???off-site
1927-1934?Alexander H. Logwood???off-site & 315 Wise St.
With the death of Mr. Logwood in 1934, the long tradition of a single caretaker, who lived on cemetery property, ended. Between the 1930s and 1999, cemetery caretakers were less permanent city employees, who rotated among other city properties, and who usually lived off-site. The following men, among others, helped maintain the cemetery during this period.
Richard Austin · Thomas Cassidy · Odel Coffey · Leo Cumby* · John Dailey* · Lawrence Elder · Walter Fitch · Mr. Jamerson · Peyton C. McCraw* · Calvin Rogers · Edward Tomlinson · Clarence Walker · Richard Ward · Clement Woodall* · James Woodall
*Lived at 315 Wise Street, near the exit gates of the cemetery.
In June 199 a new city position was established for a non-rotating caretaker of the City Cemetery. The new position allows official cemetery groundskeeper, or "Cemetery Grounds Technician", to develop the specialized skills and long-term commitment needed to maintain the present standard of cemetery care.
Kenneth Harsley 1999 —
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