Coburn-Baker Update

We’ve concluded our third effort in bringing Coburn-Baker Cemetery back “from the grave,” so to speak. Many folks who use Kentucky 19 in their various travels had no idea there was a cemetery on a rise just one hundred feet or so from the road. The first year we cut the large honeysuckle bushes that blocked the view from the road, as well as cut grapevine and honeysuckle from the interior or the cemetery. The second even saw us clearing the south and north fence lines from the same invasive species. On both occasions we also took weed eaters to the property. Most recently, we cut the honeysuckle restarts in the front and interior of the lot, dropped the large honeysuckle bushes from the back or west property line, and used chainsaws to remove the downed trees that fortunately did not land or damage any of the gravestones. Compared to my first visit a few years ago, the place looks amazing! The pictures below show the progress from year to year (courtesy Janet Hunt and Darryl Smith).

While one can now walk about the cemetery, we still have a long way to go. Next year we should have a wood chipper to assist with brush and branch removal. We should also start to reset some of the stones then as well.

Keep your eye open on the website and Facebook page for the next clean-up day. Most likely it will be in April or May 2024!