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PHOTO GALLERY: Cemetery with Revolutionary War veterans gets facelift

New Castle News - 8/15/2017

Aug. 10--Joseph Ashton fought for his country before it even became one.

Ashton was just 16 years old when 13 colonies asserted their independence from England and summoned soldiers to back up their declaration. Now, he and 11 others who answered that call lie in a cemetery that bears Ashton's name, tucked into the southeast corner of the intersection of routes 224 and 551 at Edinburg.

Until last week, they were all but forgotten.

But thanks to an effort last week by members of VFW Post 315, the graveyard that had been reclaimed by a surrounding wooded area is once again visible and accessible to any who pass by.

The resurrection of Ashton Cemetery began around Memorial Day, when Lawrence County Veterans Office director Jesse Putnam was told by a volunteer that the its veterans graves had not been marked for the observance.

Putnam decided to check it out but, not knowing exactly where the cemetery was located, asked Russ Mason, commander of VFW Post 315, to come with her.

Mason didn't like what he saw, and mobilized six members of the post to descend upon the site with chain saws and weed whackers to clean it up.

He was stirred particularly by Ashton's grave.

"The VFW is all about past, present and future, and this is one of the first soldiers of the United States that we're forgetting about," he said. "That's what came to my mind -- 1760 he was born, so over 250 years old. And we're forgetting about him.

"There are some other (old) graves there too, but you can't read the stones any more."

Putnam confirmed that there are 12 Revolutionary War veterans buried in the cemetery, and also noted the presence of a boulder with a plaque placed by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. "It's pretty old, too," she said.

Over the years, the cemetery has been cleaned up periodically by volunteers, but later left unmaintained so that it eventually disappears into the brush, awaiting its next rediscovery. Mason doesn't know how long it's been since the last time someone paid any attention to it, but said "All I can tell you is the trees that we cut down were probably seven to eight years old."

During the course of removing trees, brush and thorn bushes, as well as cleaning up grave markers, Mason's entourage grew by one. Mike Romano of Mount Jackson, Mason said, stopped by to inquire what the men were doing, then returned a half hour later with his own chain saw, ready to lend a hand.

The group also widened a narrow path so that the graves now are easily accessible to visitors. Moreover, they intend to keep returning to the cemetery in order to maintain it.

"We're going to make sure it stays cut down," he said. "I got a couple of guys who want to volunteer and we're going to lawn mowers out next time."

Putnam said that residents are free to visit the cemetery, and expressed her appreciation for the work done by the VFW volunteers.

"There are things like that in our county, and people just lose track of them," she said. "People pass away, and nobody knows who cares for them, so they let them go. So I'm glad they did it."

d_irwin@ncnewsonline.com

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