ALABAMA HISTORICAL COMMISSION ANNOUNCES CEMETERY PRESERVATION WORKSHOP

02/02/18

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
February 2, 2018

Media Contact: Jacqulyn Kirkland, 334-230-2690 or jacqulyn.kirkland@ahc.alabama.gov
     
ALABAMA HISTORICAL COMMISSION ANNOUNCES CEMETERY PRESERVATION WORKSHOP

The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC), in coordination with the Friends of the General Joe Wheeler Foundation and in commemoration of Black History Month, will host a cemetery preservation workshop on Saturday, February 24, 2018 from 1:00 – 4:00pm at Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home in Hillsboro, Alabama.

The workshop will provide basic information and skills for people who are interested in preserving historic gravestones and cemetery monuments. Gravestone cleaning will also be discussed and demonstrated on site at Pond Spring’s cemeteries. The workshop will also share history of the African-Americans, both enslaved and free, who worked on the property during the nineteenth and twentieth century. “We are very proud to be working with the AHC to celebrate and honor these individuals who played a significant role in our history," said Dr. Angelo Mancuso, Chair of the Friends of the General Joe Wheeler.

The course is free but participants must pre-register at http://bit.ly/2rW9MdQ or by calling Hannah Garmon at 334-230-2644. You can also find information on our Facebook page /AlaHisCom.

Pond Spring, a historic property of the Alabama Historical Commission, is located in Lawrence County in Hillsboro, three miles east of Courtland, on Alabama Highway 20 (US Alt. 72).

Workshop Agenda:

1:00 – 1:20 PM    Welcome & History   
1:20 – 2:00 PM    Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Demonstration    
2:00 – 2:10 PM    Break        
2:10 – 2:40 PM   Cleaning Demonstration   
2:40 – 4:00 PM  Headstone Cleaning   


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About Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home
General Joseph Wheeler was a legendary Confederate general, a U.S. congressman, and a Spanish American War general. Following the Civil War, Wheeler became a national symbol for reunification and reconciliation. His 1870s home is the center point of the 50-acre historic site owned by the Alabama Historical Commission. The collection contains around 10,000 objects, furnishings, clothing, and papers associated with the family.


About the Alabama Historical Commission
Located in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency for Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic places. AHC works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of state-owned historic sites as public attractions; and, statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities. For a complete list of programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov    

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