Friends Of Eastern Cemetery

Friends Of Eastern Cemetery A 501(c)(3) nonprofit volunteer group that aims to preserve and restore Eastern Cemetery.
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Eastern Cemetery (641 Baxter Avenue) is one of Louisville's oldest and most overburied cemeteries. After the discovery of overburial, the cemetery was shut down and abandoned. The Friends of Eastern Cemetery strives to restore and preserve the cemetery.

I’m guessing with the heat index we hit 100 out in Eastern Cemetery today. The heat was not kind to the big mowers as t...
08/16/2026

I’m guessing with the heat index we hit 100 out in Eastern Cemetery today. The heat was not kind to the big mowers as they suffered a number of breakdowns including broken blade and flat tire. My w**d eater was actually a good one today but despite my attempt to rid an area of vines, the w**der sucked a few up and jammed up. After some work with a clipper (thank you fellow volunteer Tracy for the assist) finally got it going again. A Knife blade would have definitely made it easier.

And shout out to whoever came by this week and did some more close shave mowing in the front! Was a pleasant surprise.

I was determined to find Mrs. Dixons (Regina Lucas!) grave and finally I did and got it a little cleaned up. As I did so I was reminded of an interview of Keanu Reeves by Stephen Colbert. When Keanu was asked what he thought happens after we die, his reply was I know the ones who love us will miss us. I thought that was perfect.

A little something for your calendar. Thursday, September 10 is Give For Good Louisville day. The Friends will again be participating in what is our biggest fundraiser. Stay tuned for more information as the date approaches.

I’m late with my usual after mowing post! Rest assured we were there and had a pretty good turnout. All the big mowers ...
08/11/2026

I’m late with my usual after mowing post! Rest assured we were there and had a pretty good turnout. All the big mowers were busy and I counted at least six w**d eaters.

As I was doing my thing, I noticed two men working hard in an area nearby. They came equipped with push mower, w**d eater and leaf blower. I was impressed with their focus on making the area as clear as possible. Later I learned they came regularly to keep the space around their family graves ready for any visitors that may pop by. They gave the space what I call “a close shave”.

When I clear an area I admittedly just strive to clear the space around the stones and hopefully uncover names and dates. Sunday I was battling low lying limbs that kept me from reaching some stones. Gonna take a little saw to clear those out. I leave that to those more comfortable with taking down limbs.

Sometimes people visit and leave some artificial flowers. It’s always nice to know people are being remembered. But I tell you in all honesty we can’t always keep them looking pretty. Sometimes the mowers and the w**ders get them. I attempt to pull them up and place them back if they look pretty new. Old ones (especially Christmas in July) don’t get the royal treatment.

Going to be hot again next Sunday but I’ll be there with my water bottle!

The rain started about noon today but not too heavy. I just grabbed my raincoat and kept going until Andy came searchin...
08/02/2026

The rain started about noon today but not too heavy. I just grabbed my raincoat and kept going until Andy came searching for the last w**d eater to put on the equipment truck. It gets too slippery on hills for those big mowers so they had to call it a little earlier.

Today I worked in the very front of the cemetery. This is an area that in the past has been kept mown by our friends in Cave Hill. Don’t know why they’ve been unable to do it this year but I finally got tired at looking at the w**ds around the stones so started attacking it. Here’s a pano shot from the side. Still much to do but better.

One of our crew saw a deer today. Maybe he’ll put his photo in the comments! I don’t know if they visit us from Cave Hill or reside in Eastern but if they eat some vegetation, I welcome them.

Muggy day at the Cemetery today. Sometimes it looks as though the grass is in overdrive. It was over seven feet tall i...
07/26/2026

Muggy day at the Cemetery today. Sometimes it looks as though the grass is in overdrive. It was over seven feet tall in spots. Without our big mower volunteers we would have no chance.

I noticed a new volunteer w**der today. He quietly did his thing then took off. It can be a solitary activity which works well for the introverts.

Next volunteer day is Sunday August 2 from 10 am to 1 pm. Join us. We will give you all the space you need.

Next volunteer day is July 26! Since I missed last week thought I’d share an oldie photograph. I used infrared fora dif...
07/22/2026

Next volunteer day is July 26! Since I missed last week thought I’d share an oldie photograph. I used infrared fora different look.

This is a photo of the Wake House. Here is what the internet has to say. The Wake House (1891): Designed by renowned local architects Charles Clarke and Arthur Loomis, this stone building served as a receiving vault or holding place for bodies before burial. It features the heavy stonework, rustic faces, and rounded arches characteristic of the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

We use it primarily to store flags for Veterans and
Memorial Day flagging

07/19/2026

Well I was in the wrong page for that last post but as it suggested, I could not make today’s volunteering as I was exploring the northern climate for a few days. Hope the w**ding and the mowing went well.

The rain held off today so we could get in our mowing and w**ding. I believe we had seven w**ders today! That’s a big i...
07/13/2026

The rain held off today so we could get in our mowing and w**ding. I believe we had seven w**ders today! That’s a big increase from last week. We welcomed a few newbies. Hopefully they return next week , July 19.

Today I worked in Section 18. Felt like a jungle at times. I spent quite some time working around a partially fallen tree. There was so much growth around the stones I needed to bring out the big clippers before any attempt with the w**ds. Check out these before and afters!

Today I was reminded of the saying that you die three
times, first when the body dies, second, when your body enters the grave, and third, when your name is spoken for the last time. Sometimes after uncovering a stone I give a little hello. My bet is some of these names have not been spoken in a very long time. Here are some of the graves I found. Maybe you’d like to say their names?

Zachariah, Mary and Marion Whipple
Valentine Krebs
E.A. And Thomas Barfield
Amelia Rice
Lily Gould
Henry Louis Todd
Alene and Robert Abernathy
Isaac and Rosa Le Duncan

Four w**ders today! Let’s see that’s a bit over seven acres a person. Well we fell a bit short of that but we felt good...
07/05/2026

Four w**ders today! Let’s see that’s a bit over seven acres a person. Well we fell a bit short of that but we felt good about the space we did tackle.

One of my things is to take before and after photos. Sometimes grave markers are hard to spot. Maybe a little indentation in the ground gives you a clue something is under there. Here’s a before and after picture of a few hidden graves. Also sometimes a marker is really, really buried. I had almost given up finding Mr. (Or maybe Ms.) Simms name but it finally appeared.

We will be back at it next week. Uncovering a few more folks.

Had some new volunteer faces at the Cemetery today. They picked a muggy day! Everyone did great and I hope to see them ...
06/29/2026

Had some new volunteer faces at the Cemetery today. They picked a muggy day! Everyone did great and I hope to see them again this summer. We can always use more help. With 30 acres to cover there's plenty of work to go around. Make it a group project, and bring some friends!

Today I marveled at the appearance of flowers growing around one of the graves. It would be nice if they could stay, but alas, it just isn't feasible to cultivate a little garden in the midst of all that grass. But for today at least, I got to enjoy some pink yarrow and tried to w**d whack around it a bit. There's beauty even in an abandoned cemetery. Just have to recognize it when you see it.

Happy Father's Day to all the Eastern Cemetery followers. I know fathering takes many forms so whether you were fathere...
06/22/2026

Happy Father's Day to all the Eastern Cemetery followers. I know fathering takes many forms so whether you were fathered by someone or did some fathering (even maybe of a furry four-footed household member), I hope you were celebrated.

I looked back at some of my Eastern photos (I take a lot) in search of one that I could share. I chose this one of a veteran, Sgt. George Lamb, who resides near the willow tree. I tried to find an obit for Sgt. Lamb but came up short so I don't know his fatherhood status. Perhaps someone out there does? But this is one of my favorite views so I have quite a few photos of his grave with the tree in the background taken throughout the seasons. I think of him keeping guard "father-like" over the willow sitting in the area known as the bowl.

We'll be back at it next Sunday. If you are in the area, drop by and I'll show you Sgt. Lamb's resting place.

Address

P. O. Box 6484
Louisville, KY
40206

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm
Sunday 9am - 6pm

Telephone

+1 502-773-2434

Website

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