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Holliday Cemetery - Parkerburg, WV
This cemetery holds a very special place in my heart. Not only is it the first out-of-Ohio cemetery I've hopped for this site, but Holliday Cemetery in Parkersburg, West Virginia has a very special story going on right now.
I visited in the Spring of 2005 with my boyfriend, Leo, while in Parkersburg for the day just for fun. This cemetery is believed to be the oldest in Wood county, and what makes it special is that it is currently undergoing a massive restoration. No big deal, you may say, but the Wood County Historical Preservation Society is restoring this particular cemetery with absolutely no burial records.
Bob Enich, the awesome older gentleman you'll see in the pictures below is one of the main caretakers on the project. Leo and I found the cemetery virtually on accident. We were driving along (I believe) 5th Avenue there in Parkersburg when I looked out of the car window and spotted the cemetery. As a result, I freaked out and figured out how to get down there and bugged Leo until he drove there. Once where, we met Bob who was mowing the grass and setting a couple of stones back in place. We talked with him for hours about the project, took plenty of photos, and even helped to repair a broken stone.
The stone wall you'll see in the pictures was one of the first things restored in this project. They had found a Ruby ring in the rubble and did a raffle to pay to rebuild the wall and to buy the tractor they use to take care of this little piece of West Virginia history. While in this cemetery, part of me was heartbroken over the obvious neglect it experienced over the years, but at the same time I was excited for the opportunity to see this place being restored. I was here in late May of 2005, right before Memorial Day. I'm looking forward to going back to visit Bob and also to get more information on this beautiful little place. Fair warning, there are TONS of photos, as I absolutely adore this cemetery and therefore heavily documented it. This cemetery is a bit special in another regard; you can't enter from the front of the cemetery. To get there, you go down 6th, which dead ends, park next to the cemetery and walk in from an opening in the wall. There's a large ditch (more like a gorge than a ditch) in the middle of the cemetery that adds to the beauty of this place. I'm looking at making a return trip soon, so anyone who is interested please contact me!
If you want more information on Holliday Cemetery, write to the Wood County Historical Preservation society:
WCHPS
PO Box 565
Parkersburg, WV 26102
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