Kissing' Kuzzins: Amanda’s Army cleans up Tarkington cemetery
Wright Cemetery is the burial site of seven members of the John Clark Wright family. (Photo courtesy Historic Tarkington Prairie)
Shown here are Jamie Carter Bollich, at left, the great-granddaughter of John Clark Wright and Amanda Fisher Meanor, organizer of Wright Cemetery Project, at the event. (Photo courtesy Historic Tarkington Prairie).
An Amanda’s Army soldier attacks the undergrowth at Wright Cemetery on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Historic Tarkington Prairie)
These two photos demonstrate the condition before the cleanup, at top, and the condition afterward at bottom. (Photo courtesy Historic Tarkington Prairie).
Cemetery Cleanup last Saturday at Tarkington Prairie Amanda’s Army, about 15 to 20 volunteers descended on the land of G.H. White off FM 2518 near Cleveland at 9 a.m. to clean up the overgrown Wright Family Cemetery.
As the before and after pictures demonstrate — underneath all the undergrowth (and overgrowth) there were seven graves of the John Clark Wright family. (I believe when he was living he was known as Clark Wright, the brother of Sol Wright, who authored the book about Ramblings that J. Frank Dobie published after Wright’s death in 1942). With the help of two frontend loaders (at least one of which was manned by G.H. White himself) and volunteers armed with weed-eaters, machetes, loppers, shears and clippers, Amanda’s Army, “commanded” by Amanda Fisher Meanor had the job done by about 1 p.m.
It was reassuring that a spirit of cooperation could focus without drama to get a worthy task done calmly and efficiently.
Plans are to designate this a Texas Historic Cemetery and place a marker there, if I understood Linda Jamison, chairwoman of the Liberty County Historical Commission, correctly.
Amanda is part of the Tarkington Prairie Historical Society, which meets at the Ruth Stetson Community Center next to the Tarkington Community Library. There is a Facebook page called Historic Tarkington Prairie that can be joined by googling the name and signing up.
To submit an item to Kissin’ Kuzzins email dixonhershel51@gmail.com by phone at 936-671-1419 or by mail to Kissin’ Kuzzins, P.O. Box 151001, Lufkin, Texas 75915-1001
To submit a book for a review, send a complimentary copy to the just listed address.
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