ROANOKE, Va. – A historic cemetery in Roanoke is getting a much needed makeover with the help of a national expert.
Old Lick Cemetery on Orange Avenue in Roanoke is getting a new lease on life with the help of 48 State Tour, hosted by nationally recognized monument expert, Jonathan Appell.
“We were really trying to target sites that really had a need and there are volunteers involved here and this was kind of an overgrown site and they’ve kind of reclaimed it,” said Appell.
The Friends of Old Lick Cemetery applied to host the free cleaning and restoration workshop, and were selected as one of the 56 cemeteries from across the country.
“Our mission is to bring respect and dignity to this cemetery,” said President of Friends of Old Lick Cemetery, Ellen Forbes Stick.
“This seemed like a great opportunity to get out and help give some voice to a community that maybe lost theirs a while ago,” said one volunteer, Ashley Wiley.
Old Lick Cemetery is considered the oldest Black cemetery in the Roanoke Valley.
It once held over 1,800 people, some dating back all the way to the 1800′s.
That was until 1961 when Interstate 581 was built, forcing more than half of those graves to be moved to a mass grave created in Botetourt County.
“[It] significantly altered the plot of land and really brought damage to the headstones,” said Forbes Stick.
2019 is when Forbes Stick and the Friends of Old Lick Cemetery stepped in to give the area some much-needed TLC.
“They are buried here and they deserve a respectful resting place,” she said.
Old Lick isn’t the only stop in Virginia.
On Wednesday, the 48 State Tour will make a stop in Lynchburg at the Old City Cemetery.