COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Rosalea Postma-Carttar, Chair
Kerry Altenbernd
Grace Awbrey
Leslie Beesley
Peter Carttar
T.J. Everett
Denise Pettengill
Kathryn Tuttle
2024 Annual Report
2024 VOLUNTEERS
John Broholm
Anna Cherry
Rylee Clingingsmith
Lauren Cobb
Renelle Desjardin
Katy Fitzgerald
Rachel Hamm
Angela Heck
Denise Kester
Jeanne Klein
Simon and Astrid
Minieth Murga
Les and Debbie Perrin
Kay Pettit
Leslie Sharp
Melanie Moore Stewart
Rebekah Stewart
Lori Stoppel
John Vannicola
Elizabeth Vogt
Natalie Vondrak
Mark Wappler
Melissa Warren
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Jonathan Appel (right of monument) of Atlas Preservation leads a demonstration of caring for cemetery monuments. The Oak Hill Cemetery Committee was responsible for bringing Appel’s nationwide workshop, the 48StateTour, to Lawrence’s Oak Hill Cemetery as the workshop’s Kansas stop. Some 80 people attended the July
event.
Courtesy of Taylor Mah
Oak Hill Cemetery Committee
The Oak Hill Cemetery Committee, a standing committee of the Douglas County Historical Society since 2022, partners with the Lawrence Department of Parks, Recreation, Arts and Culture to preserve historic monuments in Oak Hill Cemetery and encourage appreciation of its rich history.
2024 Activities
• Partnered with the Watkins Museum on an exhibit, Landmark Preservation: Oak Hill Cemetery Conservation, March 30June 8. We held an exhibit opening reception on April 5.
• Partnered with the Watkins Museum and Pacific Coast Conservators on an online program, “How Do You Conserve a Cemetery?” on May 24.
• Committee member Leslie Beesley led a public tour, “Founders of Oak Hill Cemetery,” on May 26.
• Committee members served as guides for cemetery visitors over Memorial Day weekend.
• Committee members volunteered to clean the Watkins Building archway on June 10.
• Held a Volunteer Appreciation Reception at the Watkins Museum on December 3.
• Created a monument damage database.
Preservation Activities
• Spring Cleanup, April 7, collected 21 waste bags and two truck beds of sticks and leaves.
• Fall Cleanup, November 10, collected 60 waste bags and five truck beds of sticks and leaves.
• Held eight scheduled headstone cleaning events, in which committee members and volunteers contributed 197 volunteer hours and cleaned 488 stones.
• Conserved George Nash Walker’s headstone using specially modified keyway from Strube Monument Services.
• Partnered with Atlas Preservation on a cemetery maintenance workshop at Oak Hill on July 23 that 80 people attended.
Looking back and forward
This year the Oak Hill Cemetery Committee continued its efforts to preserve and honor history while also beginning new projects that will improve Oak Hill’s future. With the help of committee members, the Douglas County Historical Society enacted a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lawrence Department of Parks, Recreation, Arts and Culture, documenting their respective responsibilities in the care of the cemetery. The committee also discussed with both organizations the possibility of a cemetery records storage plan that would see such records transferred to the DCHS for preservation and use; adoption of a new DCHS collections policy in 2025 will allow this project to move forward. The committee recently formed a history subcommittee that will work with several partners, including the Potter’s Field Memorial Project and the Lawrence Branch NAACP, to create historical markers for the whole cemetery and for its potter’s field. Finally, plans are being developed to hold new cemetery walking tours in 2025. Working with the City of Lawrence and other organizations, the Oak Hill Cemetery Committee is working to ensure that this beautiful resting place and its legacy will continue for years to come.
Courtesy of Lawrence Department of Parks, Recreation, Arts and Culture
Courtesy of Lawrence Department of Parks, Recreation, Arts and Culture