PORTLAND MILLS CEMETERY NEWSLETTER

 

The Stockholders of Portland Mills Cemetery held their annual meeting on June 2, 2008, at the Portland Mills Christian Church.

The meeting was called to order by the President, Carolyn Smith Collins. Cy Harbison, Secretary, read the minutes from the annual meeting held on June 4, 2007. The minutes were approved as read.

Don Roberts, Treasurer, gave the treasures report.

            Expenses         $ 6,082.82

General Fund  $12,858.32

            Lot Sales          $     250.00

            CDs                  $66,000.00

Charles Elia gave $4000 to be used to plant trees and care of the cemetery. Nine trees and 2 Lilac bushes have been planted. One tree was given by Betty Hazlett in Memory of Joe. Several flowers have been planted. There have been 4 benches placed throughout the cemetery.  The large shrubs at the entrances were removed. Thank you to all who gave and who worked on this project. The cemetery looks beautiful.

A report has been written on the condition of the stones in the Seceder Cemetery. There are some 200 stones that are in need of repair or cleaning. In the near future, you can find the report, along with photos of the stones, on the Portland Mills website. From that report you will find websites that will demonstrate how to properly wash a stone and how to make repairs. If anyone would like to take the responsibility to clean and or repair the stone from their family and friends, that would be appreciated. David Marrero is going to get the Seceder Cemetery listed on the national register. After that step, we hope we might qualify for a grant to help with the cleaning and restoring of the many stones. If anyone would like to make a donation to this project, please specify on your check that it is for the Seceder Cemetery Restoration Project.  

The Portland Mills Cemetery Heritage sign has been installed on the arch post at the entrance to the cemetery.  David Marrero filled out and filed the paper work for the sign and donated it to the Portland Mills Cemetery. Thank you. 

Cy Harbison treated the grounds for moles again this year.

There was a discussion on changing the day of our meeting in order to get more people to attend. It was decided to leave it on the first Monday of June. Your attendance would really be appreciated. The Portland Mills Cemetery is one of the most well kept cemeteries in the state. That is because of the dedication of the board to keep it that way. All shareholders are needed at the meetings to support the board.

Bill Ferguson discussed the burial and markings for the veterans in both cemeteries. We have learned that some of the veterans buried at Portland Mills and Seceder are not on the website.  We are comparing our records with the Veterans Affairs Office in Rockville. Once this is complete, the Veteran’s page on the website will be updated to include everyone buried both at the Portland Mills Cemetery and the Seceder Cemetery. It is very important that when a veteran is buried at Portland Mills that you notify a member of the board or Bill. We want to keep our records up to date and Bill wants to make sure that each Veteran has a flag on his/her grave for Memorial Day.

Harold and Stephanie ask that the lawnmower be replaced. It was discussed and a motion was made by Chester and seconded by Janet, to buy a new mower. Harold had quotes and a new mower is $5000 but with our mower as a trade in and a cemetery discount, he will be able to get it for much less.

The people who were buried at Portland Mills in the past year are

Roger Lynn Spencer    September 28, 2007

Chester W. Spencer    February 18, 2008

Alberta Spencer          May 17, 2008

Dan Harbison, Vice President, and Harold Thomas, Grounds Keeper, were elected to another 2 years in office.

Our next meeting will be June 1, 2009. Please plan to attend.

Any donations that you would like to make to the cemetery are appreciated.  Your donation will go to the general fund unless otherwise specified. Donations can be made to Don Roberts, 6839 North Basswood St., Terre Haute, IN 47805.

Go to our website and check out all of the information that is available there.

www.portlandmills.com

The meeting was adjourned.

Officers

President                     Carolyn Smith Collins -765-569-0230

Vice President             Dan Harbison

Secretary                     Cy Harbison

Treasurer                    Don Roberts

Grounds Keeper          Harold Thomas