Newton Township – For months now, members of the Newton Township Cemetery Association have volunteered their time and energy to bringing new life to a piece of local history – several pieces, in fact.
Multiple headstones, monuments, and other grave markers – many as old as the early 1800s – have fallen into disrepair due to age, the elements, and the misfortune of vandalism, and literally lie in pieces throughout the cemeteries in and around Newton Falls. The Cemetery Association has been working long hours to mend, patch, and restore these markers as close to their original condition as possible and bring dignity back to the final resting places of so many former residents of the small town. Always a continual process, the workers have been doing as much as they can before the snow falls, while contending with the challenge of a humid Ohio summer, beating the heat by spending precious cooler morning hours among the quiet granite and marble, Association members have made significant progress in the restoration plan.
Last Thursday morning, members from the local American Legion Post 236 stopped by the cemetery down the street from the fire station to present a check to the Association volunteers. Opened in 1813 and considered the first hallowed ground in Newton Falls, this is just one of the seven cemeteries under the care of the Township. The funds will be used for construction materials to repair headstones and landscaping elements in an effort to further beautify and honor the sacred spaces.
If anyone is interested in helping out and could spare a few hours with the project, the Cemetery Association meetings are the third Thursday of each month at the Township Administration Building. Also, they plan to have an informational table at the Firefighters Auxiliary’s Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, October 1st. They would love to share with you how you could be a part of this historical undertaking.
