The Lawrence County Historical Society has been preserving
our local history since 1969 through the efforts of its members. One of its most notable achievements was a
history book compiled and printed in 1981 titled Some History of Lawrence
County. The book is out of print and
can sometimes be found as a used book in local stores.
However, thirty years have passed and much has happened in that intervening time. Public history is thriving with the Adams Museum, High Plains Heritage Center, and the Days of 76 Museum to name a few of the local venues. However, the members of the Lawrence County Historical Society need to realize that they all need to participate in some way to persevere our history before it is lost. While the activities of one of your family members might seem relevant to only your immediate family, they are all part of the larger history of our area and need to be saved.
However, thirty years have passed and much has happened in that intervening time. Public history is thriving with the Adams Museum, High Plains Heritage Center, and the Days of 76 Museum to name a few of the local venues. However, the members of the Lawrence County Historical Society need to realize that they all need to participate in some way to persevere our history before it is lost. While the activities of one of your family members might seem relevant to only your immediate family, they are all part of the larger history of our area and need to be saved.
Many years ago, my sister took me to visit the main cemetery
in Atlanta, GA, when she was living there, for a Sunday afternoon. While we knew no one there, it certainly gave
me an education in the culture of the Civil War, the Victorian Era, and the way
people saw death up through the 1960’s.
Locally, Mt. Moriah Cemetery gives a different snapshot of our
culture. The Atlanta cemetery’s
overwhelming lesson for me was that women, while cherished by the number of
stunning angels gracing their tombstones, were still without historic
significance in the view of society.
Most Victorian tombstones with the angels were inscribed “Mother” but
she had no name of her own. Under the
moniker of “Mother,” it might say that Susie and Johnnie were her
children.
Lawrence County is dotted with small cemeteries, often in
disrepair. Past groups of members have
cleaned up cemeteries and tried to keep them from becoming a victim of a mining
project. The future will be more of the
same vigilance to keep this most basic of history preserved. One cannot hope that surviving relatives of
the departed can do this job because often, there is no one left in the
family. The larger community must assume
that role. Therefore, if you know of a
cemetery that needs attention please let us know so efforts can be organized to
preserve those memories.
If cemeteries are not your priority, there are also other activities that will preserve our Lawrence County history. Just bring your ideas forward to see if we can collectively keep our history from being lost.
If cemeteries are not your priority, there are also other activities that will preserve our Lawrence County history. Just bring your ideas forward to see if we can collectively keep our history from being lost.
