Prattville Dragoons Cemetery Workday Memorial Day Weekend

On Saturday, May 28th, very successful cemetery cleanup day was conducted with eight Dragoons from SCV Camp 1524 gathered at Indian Hill Cemetery making quick work of tidying this historic Prattville cemetery. Five members brought lawnmowers including Tom Crowley, Ryan King, Skip Ward, Camp Commander Stuart Waldo and Bill Myrick who as usual was the first to arrive and start working.  Larry Spears used his weed whacker to trim areas inside some of the burial plots and along the bank of the county road fronting the cemetery.  Father James Spears used weed killer to spray along the fenceline and around the large trees.  Jack Moore also took photos of everyone to document.  With all the prior work performed at this cemetery in reclaiming it and with five mowers working, all was completed within an hour and a half.  Camp 1st Lt. Harold Grooms went directly to the cemetery across CR 45 from Autaugaville's Shiloh Baptist Church and finished clearing that cemetery including cutting down a fallen pine tree.  Weed killer will be applied under the tree canopy at Indian Hill and at the Shiloh cemeteries to keep the undergrowth controlled.  Following the quick work at Indian Hill, Skip, Stuart, Bill, Tom and Jack drove out to Autaugaville to do an initial cleanup of the section of the town’s cemetery there where a half dozen Confederate soldiers are buried. These older graves are set along the tree line with more recently deceased laid to rest closer in the cemetery out toward Hwy-14. Among the graves here was a musician named Pau, just seventeen when the War commenced.  Also under the shade of the trees nearby was a World War II veteran who died in service in 1944. Truly heroes who fought to preserve their liberty and defend their homeland.  Branches from the trees along the fenceline adjacent to these older graves was obscuring the view of these graves with some branches grazing the monuments and many limbs strewn about.  Everything was trimmed up and picked up and these graves were made to once again appear a part of the larger cemetery.  A wonderful way to honor the service of these brave American veterans on a Memorial Day weekend.

Larry

Tom

Stuart and Skip