Lane Street Project is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Rountree, Odd Fellows, and Vick cemeteries. We welcome community volunteer support to achieve our goals of reclaiming the cemeteries and honoring the sacred remains of our ancestors. At present, Rountree and Odd Fellows are covered with 40+ years of overgrowth. Burials date back to the 1890s, and many of the graves have collapsed. It is a fragile environment.
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Q: I’m coming to the Clean-Up Kick-Off! What do I need to know?
A: First, Lane Street Project appreciates you!
Here are a few things to know before you arrive:
- Masks and social distancing will be enforced at the Clean-Up Kick-Off. For real. Be safe!
- Wear comfortable protective clothing – gloves, boots, long-sleeved outer garments.
- Cleaning up abandoned cemeteries carries risks of injury, and you will be required to sign a waiver before you begin working.
- At the beginning of each clean-up session, Lane Street Project volunteers will explain the history of the cemeteries and go over guidelines.
- To facilitate social distancing, you’ll be assigned a clean-up lane.
- Please bag all trash and cuttings and dispose of them in the bins provided.
- Here’s what to bring — and what not.
- Here’s what to do if you find a headstone or other grave marker.
- The atmosphere will be joyous and celebratory, but these are cemeteries — please be respectful.
Odd Fellows cemetery on a sunny December morning. Della Hines Barnes’ marble headstone inspired Lane Street Project’s logo.
Photo by Lisa Y. Henderson, December 2020.