Date: May 16, 2017
Contact: Effie Houston, (423) 569-9778
Contact: Christopher Derman
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area will provide assistance on Friday, May 19, and Saturday, May 20, for family members who wish to visit remote cemeteries and do minor clean-up of graves of their relatives. This assistance will be provided to the park cemeteries that are not easy to access and located inside the park boundary.
Transportation from a designated area in the park to the cemetery will be provided only to those that are physically unable to walk round trip, based on a first-come, first-served basis. The park is also planning on providing this opportunity this coming autumn.
There are a total of 58 cemeteries located throughout Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Some of these are very old and no longer receiving burials, while others are current cemeteries. Several of these cemeteries are family plots and are located near old home sites.
The most recent burials take place at many active, private cemeteries located within the boundary of the National Area. All of the cemeteries in the park have remarkable stories associated with them.
To learn more about the cemeteries of the Big South Fork, go to https://www.nps.gov/biso/historyculture/cemeteries.htm.
If you or a family member need assistance visiting a park cemetery on May 19, or 20, please contact Effie Houston at (423) 569-9778 by Wednesday, May 17, and provide the day and cemetery you wish to visit. The park will make every effort to accommodate as many visitors as possible.
