POTTSTOWN — The community spring cleanup at Edgewood Cemetery will happen on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The rain date is Saturday, April 20.
Equipment and gloves will be provided. Volunteers who can bring and use weed-whackers and small lawn mowers and saws will be greatly appreciated.
Snacks will be provided for volunteers courtesy of Little Italy/The Pourhouse and Sodexo, the dining services company that serves The Hill School.
Continued effort to adopt gravestones
The non-profit organization caring for the cemetery has also started an “Adopt-a-Gravestone” program to address the toppling and sinking of many tombstones due to the natural passage of time, early and less stable burial methods, and the serious groundhog-related damage in the cemetery.
Up to now, these efforts financed by generous donors have enabled the cemetery to repair nine tombstones.
For those who wish to help with Adopt-a-Gravestone, they can call or text Kelly Fenstermacher at 610-506-7033 or visit https://givebutter.com/adoptagravestone to donate directly.
Volunteers will be selling unique, locally made Edgewood Cemetery items to support the mowing fund as well as Adopt-a-Gravestone. Items to be sold at both the cleanup and the Women of Edgewood tour, set for Saturday, May 18, will include three-quarter length sleeved shirts ($20 each) featuring the Edgewood logo on the front as well as a bold image on the back of “Eddie Edgewood,” the hawk who resides in the cemetery’s trees, drawn by volunteer and artist Jess Grater.
Other “Eddie Edgewood” items include wooden coasters, garden flags, Christmas tree ornaments, and prints. Those interested in purchasing merchandise can also contact Cathy Skitko of Hobart’s Run at [email protected] or 610-705-1017.
All maintenance and mowing of Edgewood grounds relies on the generosity of donors and events like this organized by a small group of volunteers, including staff from Hobart’s Run, a community engagement organization established by The Hill School.
Donations for the mentioned projects and other restoration efforts will be greatly appreciated at: Edgewood Historic Cemetery, c/o 740 E. High St., Pottstown, Pa. 19464 or through the organization’s general “Give Butter” donation acceptance site at https://givebutter.com/edgewod-historic-cemetery.
Maintaining the 12-acre Cemetery costs close to $20,000 per year. Unfortunately, the cemetery's caretaker abandoned it in 2012, and the borough does not provide funds for its upkeep. The grounds quickly became overgrown — until volunteers teamed up with Hobart’s Run to find ways to cooperate, finance, and restore this final resting place.
