Find uplifting stories about heroes, innovations, and solutions
178 results for "cemeteries"
When a Pennsylvania police department posted about an overwhelmed cemetery, volunteers showed up the very next morning. The century-old Locust Grove Cemetery is now getting the care it needs thanks to community members rallying together.
A dedicated group of volunteers spent their Saturday morning breathing new life into a historic West Virginia cemetery. The community-led restoration project at Arnold 'Old Hill' Cemetery shows how a small team can preserve local history for future generations.
A south London ecologist is rallying her community to protect a cherished cemetery from plastic pollution. Her petition asks Kingston Council to phase out plastic decorations, turning a nature conservation site back into a place of peace.
Dozens of seventh graders spent their Monday pulling weeds and clearing graves at Louisville Cemetery, where some headstones date back to the 1800s. For 13-year-old Ivy Lewis, the work was especially meaningful since her grandfather rests there.
Volunteers in Louisville are restoring a closed cemetery just in time for families planning Mother's Day visits. Community members stepped up when they saw the neglected grounds needed care.
After severe flooding toppled 20 headstones at a rural Pennsylvania cemetery, volunteers came together to help restore the sacred space. Their cleanup efforts show how communities unite to repair what matters most.
When a Minnesota cemetery lost its only full-time employee, volunteers stepped up to maintain 58 acres for families visiting loved ones. CHS employees in rain suits proved that community care still thrives.
An 83-year-old historian and a devoted group of "tombstone tourists" are preserving Australia's oldest surviving European cemetery through monthly gardening sessions. Their labor of love is about to get professional support through a heritage grant.
A job placement company stepped in with heavy equipment after seeing a lone volunteer struggling to restore a nine-acre historic cemetery. Their help cleared two acres in a single day, uncovering graves hidden for years.
American Legion members turned their annual convention into a day of service, cleaning up a historic cemetery that's the final resting place for more than 800 African American veterans. The volunteer effort brings new attention to a site that depends on community help to survive.
After a tornado destroyed greenery three years ago, volunteers are creating a living fence of evergreen shrubs along a historic Selma cemetery. The project restores beauty while giving families visiting graves a quieter, more peaceful space.
A historic African American cemetery in College Park, abandoned for decades, is being brought back to life by volunteers honoring the city's Black pioneers. Among the 700 graves are veterans, educators, and trailblazers whose legacies were nearly lost to overgrowth.
Scientists discovered one of the world's largest wild bee colonies thriving beneath a New York cemetery since the early 1900s. The 5.5 million mining bees are pollinating nearby orchards and proving that old cemeteries can be vital urban wildlife sanctuaries.
Community members in Sonoma are stepping up to care for historic cemeteries where generations of locals rest. After a successful February kickoff, the city has scheduled three more volunteer workdays this spring.
Hundreds of volunteers braved freezing temperatures Saturday to retire holiday wreaths at Fayetteville National Cemetery, clearing the entire site in under an hour. The annual tradition, led by Gold Star mother Jannie Layne, is teaching a new generation to honor fallen service members year-round.
A Long Island community is coming together to preserve a Revolutionary War burial site, giving new life to historic gravestones that tell the stories of America's earliest heroes. The Town of Huntington's restoration program will revive 20 historic cemeteries, connecting modern neighbors with centuries of local history.
Volunteers at Historic Congressional Cemetery are adopting neglected grave plots and turning them into colorful pollinator gardens. The program connects community members with local history while beautifying one of Capitol Hill's most treasured spaces.
One of the world's most historic cemeteries just secured major funding to protect its Victorian monuments and nature from climate change. The 25-year plan will preserve the final resting place of Karl Marx and George Michael for generations to come.
Nearly 230 students from Richmond area schools are breathing new life into Woodland Cemetery, a historic Black burial ground that earned National Register status this year. Their volunteer work honors a site designed to point north, recalling the direction enslaved people looked for freedom.
%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2F84%2F45%2F84450507-c544-4100-8a01-02e4e5abf547%2F670445941_18595753075007221_6102406801397021539_n.jpeg)
Brooklyn's historic Green-Wood Cemetery just unveiled a stunning restored 1880s greenhouse as a welcoming visitor center, complete with exhibitions, archives, and flower stands. The $1.6 million transformation turns a vandalized Victorian beauty into a vibrant public space that eases visitors into exploring one of America's most beloved historic landmarks.
Showing 20 of 178