It’s been a stressful week with real estate doings so I took Thursday off and headed to Woodward Hill Cemetery. The weather was in the 60′s and a perfect fall day!
The first thing I noticed was somebody with a weedeater going around the monuments and headstones. See him at the top of the hill? Tiny little figure in front of the red tree? That is something not usually seen there ~ a lone figure working! Usually there are groups of them, kinda working, talking and not paying attention. 
The next thing I noticed was all the grass was cut! Not just cut in certain areas, but cut throughout the entire Cemetery! The Cemetery looked clean and groomed with just this one little (or probably BIG) thing!
The third thing I noticed, and this to me was the most impressive, is that somebody is trying to upright the fallen headstones and place them in the spots they belong in! The Snyder stones are evidence of this. I noticed this throughout the Cemetery! My heart started singing!
I am writing this blog because I have written so many criticizing this Cemetery. The neglience of the Board and/or staff in maintaining such a historic site in Lancaster has been a thorn in my side. After all, our 16th President, James Buchanan, is buried there. Whether you think he was a great President or a mediocre President, he was stilll the President of our Great Nation and his resting place attracts a lot of visitors.
It is time I write a blog praising somebody’s efforts! Kudos to the responsible party(s)! I realize you cannot stop vandalism, tipping over headstones and people walking through and throwing their trash as they walk. This is a fact of life in this particular cemetery. You can, however, make an effort, such as they are doing, to straighten up the mess. 
The only disappointment of the day, and it was a personal disappointment was Mary Auxer’s headstone. Remember my blog, “Putting Mary in Her Place,” on our efforts to upright it? It stayed up for 5 months before temptation got the best of somebody, and it’s tipped over again! Sad, isn’t it? I realize the maintenance staff and/or the Board has little control over this sort of thing and it’s going to continue, but never-the-less it is a sad commentary on our society today!
Overall, I was so tickled to see the improvements in Woodward Hill Cemetery!
If I can criticize, I can praise. I owe Woodward Hill Cemetery this blog!!
I visited this cemetery for the first time today. For years I have driven past and never had the time. Love that big old dead tree and the little church/house/structure. It was a really neat cemetery but I was sad to see so many stones pushed over. The grass was mowed!