Company Donates Equipment to Restore Historic TN Cemetery

One volunteer armed with hand tools versus nine acres of overgrown cemetery doesn't sound like a fair fight. But that's exactly what Channing Greene faced while trying to restore the Historic Morristown Cemetery in Tennessee, where bushes and brush had swallowed most of the graves.

Greene works with Tennessee Historic Preservation and Conversion Services, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting historic sites. For months, he and a handful of volunteers tackled the massive cleanup alone, making slow progress on the privately owned cemetery.

Then local news station WVLT shared Greene's story. WorkNow Inc., a job placement company, saw the segment and immediately offered to help.

The company didn't just send volunteers. They brought heavy equipment that transformed what would have taken months into a single Saturday project.

The impact was dramatic. In one day, the team cleared two acres of the nine-acre property, according to Kathy Barnes from the nonprofit. Graves that had been hidden for years suddenly became visible again.

The cemetery is owned by Rock of Ages Church, which acquired it several years ago. Pastor William Butler and the congregation have worked to maintain it, but the sheer size of the property made full restoration impossible without outside help.

The Ripple Effect

This story shows what happens when media attention meets community generosity. WorkNow Inc. could have simply liked the news story and scrolled past. Instead, they saw a concrete way to make a difference and acted.

Their equipment donation multiplied Greene's impact exponentially. What one person with basic tools couldn't accomplish in months happened in hours with the right resources.

The restored cemetery now honors the people buried there properly. Families can finally locate and visit their ancestors' graves. A piece of Tennessee history that was disappearing under vegetation is being preserved for future generations.

Greene's persistence combined with WorkNow's generosity proves that big problems don't always need government solutions. Sometimes they just need one dedicated person and a company willing to share what they have.

Seven more acres still need clearing, but momentum is building in Morristown.