The Friends of Old Lick Cemetery

The Friends of Old Lick Cemetery Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Friends of Old Lick Cemetery, Nonprofit Organization, Roanoke, VA.

Our mission is to restore, reclaim, and maintain the Old Lick Cemetery, providing a place for visitors to learn, remember, and reflect on the people buried here and witness the injustice of those removed.

It's hard to believe we are now in August! Old Lick Cemetery continues to improve as the Friends work to clean-up the s...
08/04/2026

It's hard to believe we are now in August! Old Lick Cemetery continues to improve as the Friends work to clean-up the storm damage, keep the grass and w**ds trimmed, and setting up headstones throughout the property. We were blessed with the new Master's of Education cohort of students joining us in July to enthusiastically help clean up the storm damage. That work will continue this Saturday. The Neves family cleaned and set several headstones and found many more that have been invisible for decades. We appreciate the many dedicated individuals working to restore this Cemetery in many ways!

On Saturday, be prepared for wet conditions from all of the recent rain. We will focus on clearing the remaining logs, brush, and limbs from the July storm. Be sure to wear long sleeves and long pants with boots. The poison ivy is flourishing in addition to the other invasive brush.

Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and blessings.

07/07/2026

We discovered heavy wind damage along the top of the hill at Old Lick Cemetery this morning. On Saturday, bring wheel barrows to help haul logs to the curb. Old trees and huge branches were twisted and broken. We can never underestimate the power of Mother Nature!

This may sound like something you have read before...but we are officially in the Dog Days of Summer and hot, humid days...
07/06/2026

This may sound like something you have read before...but we are officially in the Dog Days of Summer and hot, humid days are with us for a while longer despite the early start last month.

We will meet at Old Lick Cemetery at 8:30 on Carver Avenue for our monthly clean up day this Saturday, July 11. WDBJ-7 says it'll be 88 by noon. The HOT weather calls for caution and preparation. Consider your health as you decide whether or not working in the heat is best for you. If you join us, bring water or your favorite sports drink to stay hydrated. We will only work until 10:30 or earlier depending on the temperature and humidity.

We will continue cutting and removing Asian Honeysuckle and other brush as well as dead fall. Bring any young people in your charge for the task of picking up sticks throughout the wooded area! This will be a HUGE help for the w**d eating that takes place weekly.

Headstones will be repaired and re-set by several Friends to continue the work of straightening the stones that are in the mowed area closest to Orange Avenue. The Neves Family from History for Liberty (https://www.historyforlibertyva.com ) have uncovered an amazing number of headstones in the wooded area, repaired and re-set them. These are visible as you drive past the Cemetery on Orange Avenue.

First Baptist Church Gainsboro has secured a new mowing company and the Cemetery looks great with their attention and care. We really appreciate FBC-G and the new team!

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday or having your blessings from afar due to the forecast.

06/09/2026

We will meet at Old Lick Cemetery at 8:30 on Carver Avenue for our monthly clean up day this Saturday, June 13. The HOT weather calls for caution and preparation. Consider your health as you decide whether or not working in the heat is best for you. If you join us, bring water or your favorite sports drink to stay hydrated. We will only work until 10:30 or earlier depending on the temperature and humidity.

We will also continue cutting and removing Asian HoneySuckle and other brush as well as dead fall. Bring any young people in your charge for the task of picking up sticks throughout the wooded area! This will be a HUGE help for the w**d eating that takes place weekly. Headstones will be repaired and re-set by several Friends to continue the work of straightening the stones that are in the mowed area closest to Orange Avenue.

We are excited to have the Neves Family from History for Liberty (https://www.historyforlibertyva.com ) working with us. In the past month, Shawn has uncovered several headstones, repaired them and set them up in the more wooded area of the Cemetery. Hilary and Shawn Neves are the founders of History for Liberty, an organization focused on promoting American history through genealogical research, cemetery mapping, and restoration in the Bedford, VA, and surrounding Roanoke areas. On Saturday, you will have an opportunity to see their recent efforts as well as see their process for this important work.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday or having your blessings from afar due to the forecast.

Gainsboro Neighborhood Block Party on Saturday, May 16The Friends of Old Lick Cemetery will be at the Gainsboro Branch L...
05/13/2026

Gainsboro Neighborhood Block Party on Saturday, May 16
The Friends of Old Lick Cemetery will be at the Gainsboro Branch Library with the Gainsboro Neighborhood Organization for free music, food, and fun at the 2026 annual Gainsboro Neighborhood Block Party! Our table will include pictures of our work and the most recent headstones restorations. We will have new brochures with the stories of people buried at Old Lick Cemetery and we will have our data collection if you are wondering about someone who may be buried at Old Lick Cemetery or moved to Coyner Spring in 1961. Please visit us at the Block Party from 11:00-2:00 and see what we've been doing.

Also, we are so excited to have new Friends joining us in our restoration work at the Cemetery! Shawn and Hillary Neves founded History for Liberty in Bedford and work compiling cemetery surveys and restoring stones. They shared their talents last Saturday and found and set Stephen Arrington's headstone based on a footstone in the area while the headstone was buried deep enough to require tools to unearth it. We are so excited to have access to their expertise and experience.

The weather is looking great for our workday on Saturday. We will start at 8:30 and finish at 10:30. We will continue ...
05/05/2026

The weather is looking great for our workday on Saturday. We will start at 8:30 and finish at 10:30. We will continue repairing and cleaning stones, tackling stumps, and clearing the area near the Cell Tower mechanical building. Please join us and bring a friend or two or ten!

Our work is being noticed more and more as people drive on Orange Avenue and now when they are stopped on Exit 4E waiting to proceed to the far lane for left turns on to Williamson Road. If you haven't seen the Cemetery from the vantage point of that new stop light, definitely take a drive where you will have a great but quick view.

As this is the weekend of Mother's Day, it will be a special time in the Cemetery as we can reflect on the hard and often short lives of many of the women buried at Old Lick Cemetery. Thanks to the research of Angela Elliott, Marta Lemley, and Brittany Flowers we know some of the stories of the lives of the women.

We are excited to be moving to our Day Light Savings Time starting this Saturday. We will meet to work at Old Lick Ceme...
04/07/2026

We are excited to be moving to our Day Light Savings Time starting this Saturday. We will meet to work at Old Lick Cemetery from 8:30-10:30. We will continue setting stones straight and cleaning headstones. We will also pick up branches, sticks, and the like to help make w**d eating easier for the summer months. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

EXCITING UPDATE!
Adam Braaten, Arborist/Local Manager, of BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS and his crew generously donated their time and expertise last Thursday at the Cemetery! They did amazing work trimming the low hanging branches along Orange Avenue as well as trimming the "Mascot Tree" in the center and giving it much needed TLC. Drive by and check out their work and the visibility of the cleaned and straightened stones throughout the Cemetery. We are greatly appreciative of their amazing donation and help as we work to bring respect to Old Lick Cemetery.

Address

Roanoke, VA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Friends of Old Lick Cemetery posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category