By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, February 26, members of the Old Kingston Historical Cemetery Committee were presented a $10,000 grant from the Alabama Historical Commission to help construct a fence around the cemetery to prevent vehicles from crossing over into the area.
The grant was part of a larger sum of money given to the AHC from the state legislature back in 2019.
“We receive funding from the Alabama Legislature through the Education Trust Fund. Last year, we received $900,000 to give out for grants across the state of Alabama. This includes historical sites, cemeteries, schools, etc. This really helps us restore crucial landmarks all across the state,” said Cemetery Program Coordinator for the AHC, Hannah Garmon.
The members of the OKHCC were ecstatic about the grant, one of which was Jacqueline Speigner, Secretary for the Committee.
“We were so excited when the AHC called us and said we were one of the organizations that would be receiving the grant,” said Speigner. “This money is going to be so helpful to us. This is what it’s really all about – to keep this land beautified and preserved. We can’t thank the AHC enough.”
Being one of the oldest cemeteries in Autauga County, with some graves dating back to the mid-1800s, the AHC felt the need to help the OKHCC with their restoration endeavors.
“We’re very thankful to have people in the community that want to help and preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic sites,” Garmon said. “We have a great relationship with Old Kingston. They have a historical marker. They were listed to the cemetery register and went through all the proper procedures to document and protect this cemetery through that documentation.”
The OKHCC will have a community clean up day for the cemetery on March 15th. For more information about all fundraisers the committee is involved in, please visit their Facebook page.
