Midway CME Cemetery Conservation Project

10/08/2022

First update in quite some time. There haven’t been any scheduled cleanup days because we officially reached the point where all graves were uncovered. Other than some weed-eating and mowing, the majority of work has just been spraying herbicide to help keep that overgrowth from coming back so thick. which we’ve been able to maintain. I’m very proud to say that we are close to the point where we can finally set out the flower arrangements on the graves that Hands On Thomas County kindly donated to our project last year. I will be reaching out to a few of the volunteers to ask for quick and minor favors in the coming weeks to help with the finishing touches.

Stay tuned, guys! I do believe we will have a beautiful cemetery to present to you all very soon!

I sincerely thank each and every one of you for the support and encouragement you have provided throughout this adventure!

04/10/2022

Just an update for anyone who may be wondering what we’ve been up to. I’ve been using the weekends (and a few weekdays) to spray the growth in the cemetery with commercial grade herbicide. At least on the days where rain isn’t expected for a while. Once the cemetery has been sprayed a few times, we will give it a good cut to spruce it up. I am still unable to find a better way at removing the few debris piles, so we have decided to slowly chip away at it until it’s gone. I will be certain to share photos when this is done!

In other words, it looks like the majority of work has been accomplished, and we have almost reached our final goal. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping up and checking in. I really appreciate you all!

03/22/2022

Just a heads up for anyone who may have been planning to help out at the event this weekend, Saturday’s clean up date will have to be rescheduled. We are at a bit of a standstill until we can figure out how to get the debris moved and out of the way without having to burn it. I will be spraying herbicide down this weekend, and continuing my search for assistance on the debris removal. Keep an eye out for the next clean up date. I’m certain it will be within the next two weeks or so. Enjoy your beautiful weekend, and I will see you guys soon!

02/27/2022

What an incredible clean up day today!! Lots of hard working volunteers came out, and I’m so grateful for all of them. We always have a good time. I cannot believe I’m about to say this, but I can say with about 95% confidence that we have successfully uncovered all of the headstones! We are shifting our focus now to cleaning and beautifying the grounds.

With that being said, we are in need of funds for herbicide, garden rocks, hopefully fencing, and a secure way to display the original school bell in the cemetery. Also, because there are so many unmarked graves, it is extremely important to me that a plaque is on display with general information that provides some history on the church/cemetery and the significance of those laid to rest there.

In order to raise those funds, we need to get our GoFundMe page circulating again. The funds we have already raised have been depleted since the project first started when we had to purchase all of the necessary equipment needed for clearing. If you could please share this link to help us with these efforts, it would be greatly appreciated. We are almost at the finish line!!

Midway CME in Thomasville, GA was founded in the 1800s, and served as the primary… Kelly Gomez needs your support for Midway CME Cemetery Conservation Project

02/24/2022

Looks like the weather will be just perfect for our clean up day Saturday! Hope to see you all then!

02/08/2022

It’s been a cold and busy few weeks, but I finally have the next clean up event nailed down! We will be out there Saturday, Feb. 26th from 8am-11am. Hope to see you all there!

01/26/2022

Just an update to inform those who planned to be with us Saturday morning that the event is being postponed. The closer we get to Saturday, the closer the temps get to the 20s that morning. I’m afraid that will be much too cold for outside work. I have not come up with a new date as of yet, but it won’t be too long before I do. I will post the new date as soon as it gets decided on, so be sure to keep up with the page so we can see you next time!!

Stay warm, friends! We will see you all soon!

01/11/2022

As promised…

Thanks to Katie Kaplan for believing in our project so much that she reached out to do this follow up story on her day off.

A local photographer is making progress on a passion project she started roughly seven months ago: uncovering the graves outside an abandoned church in Thomasville.

01/09/2022

Progress from 01/08/22 clean up day. To say I’m excited and grateful would be a huge understatement.

01/08/2022

Had a great cleanup day today. Thankful for the faithful volunteers, and even a few new ones, that came out to lend a hand. We got a follow up interview with WCTV during the event, which will air Monday at 11pm. I will be sure to share it here, in case you miss it. I was thrilled that the volunteers were interviewed and got to tell a bit about what the project means to them. That was a pretty emotional moment. Although it’s impossible to clean a cemetery and appear “TV ready”, I am so thankful for the opportunity to share what we are doing. Katie Kaplan takes such an enormous interest in our project, and I have a ton of gratitude for her.

Today, we focused more on cleaning up what’s been uncovered so far, as opposed to uncovering more. Although more were discovered deep in a wooded area that we had no idea needed attention. Just more fun to be had, I suppose! I will upload a video of today’s progress this afternoon.

01/07/2022

Thankful for those who have replied and agreed to help out in the morning. Ready to get back to it. Bundle up, cause it’s going to be a chilly start!!! See you at 8am!

12/29/2021

It’s that time again! Another clean up event has been scheduled for January 8 from 8am-11am! We will be doing things a little different this time. Since we have the majority of the headstones uncovered, we will be focusing on cleaning the debris left behind before we uncover the remaining graves. If you are unable to physically help, maybe you could simply spread the word or share/donate via the GoFundMe acct?? I will attach the link in the comments. Any help we receive is greatly appreciated! We are beginning to see a light at the end of this tunnel, and I couldn’t be more excited! I appreciate each and everyone one of you guys more than you all will know.

I hope you guys had a great Christmas!
Happy New Year!