Volunteers clean-up 140-year-old cemetery Published Feb. 24, 2011 By Capt. Darrell Bogan 94th Airlift Wing Equal Opportunity DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- Dobbins' Human Resources Development Council and Top Three Association coordinated an all-volunteer effort consisting of both Airmen and members of the local community to clean a historic cemetery located here Feb. 19-20. The cemetery is all that is left of the historic town of Jonesville, a late 1800's black community and suburb of Atlanta, which was acquired by the government in the 1940's to form what became Dobbins Air Reserve Base. The cemetery was not included in the purchase however, and is now private property completely surrounded by the base. It is currently unclear who owns title to the cemetery property, but this issue is currently being investigated in coordination with local Cobb County officials. Several members of Marietta's Mount Sinai Baptist Church, including one of the founders, are buried in the cemetery. Several current members were part of the clean-up. A total of 51 volunteers participated in the event, which had the strong support of the commander and members of the 94th Airlift Wing. The volunteers gathered in Building 501 for several safety briefings prior to walking to the sacred site. Upon arriving at the site, many volunteers were very surprised at the amount of trees and overgrowth that had taken over the cemetery. Despite staring at a challenge that seemed never ending, eager volunteers focused on their collective efforts to honor those without a voice. It was an emotional moment for Annette Carter, church historian of Mount Sinai, who said she wanted to have a "hallelujah good time" when HRDC contacted Mount Sinai to ask for volunteers. No government resources were used to clean the cemetery, as the cemetery is not considered government property. All cleaning tools were donated by the Atlanta Tool Bank. Volunteers worked in two shifts from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days during phase one of the clean-up. Phase two of the clean-up will take place March 19-20. If you would like to volunteer during phase two, please email Capt. Darrell Bogan at darrell.bogan@us.af.mil. (Capt. Patrick Simmons, public affairs officer at the 94th Airlift Wing contributed to this article)
