If you were to choose one image as the iconic representation of the city of Columbus, what would it be?
Given the abundance of historic homes and buildings, there are any number of options, but the best representation of the city may well be Friendship Cemetery, established in 1849.
Located near Tombigbee River on a beautiful, 70-acre parcel under a canopy of ancient live oaks and magnolias, the cemetery is the resting place of more than 22,000 people. With a plethora of notable headstones and crypts, a history kept alive by the Mississippi School for Math and Sciences’ nationally-acclaimed “Tales from the Crypt” tours and the notoriety of being the birthplace of Decoration Day, the cemetery is likely the most-visited site for tourists and residents alike.
Unfortunately, in recent years, it has not been treated with the respect it deserves.
A drive through the cemetery reveals overturned and dirty headstones, fallen obelisks, poorly pruned trees and decorative posts that have been no doubt “nudged” by vehicles.
Given its importance to the city, it’s not unreasonable to expect Friendship Cemetery to be kept like other famous cemeteries such as Vicksburg or Gettysburg or Arlington National Cemetery.
“To be honest, some of the responsibility falls on us, the residents,” said Visit Columbus executive director Nancy Carpenter, who understands just how important Friendship Cemetery is to tourism. “When people place live or silk flowers at a gravesite, when they have started to look bad, the family should remove them. Little things like that can make a difference. We probably have anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 people visit the cemetery every year, so its appearance says something about our community.”
We agree with Carpenter, and we are encouraged by a recent grassroots effort to restore Mrs. Munroe’s memorial, one of the most notable monuments in the cemetery. Hopefully more people will take it upon themselves to do things small and large to help the cemetery.
Over the years, groups have had clean-up days at the cemetery. In 2013, a group of local churches organized a clean-up. Carpenter said a few years ago, volunteers from Columbus Air Force Base collected 75 80-gallon lawn bags of debris on a day of service project.
But those efforts have been sporadic.
A marble marker at the main gate of the cemetery, dated 1930, notes a cemetery board of trustees. Presumably these trustees oversaw the cemetery in some capacity.
While we offer no specific solutions, we do wish for a standing group to advocate for the thoughtful care of our most important attraction. This “Friends of Friendship” would ideally be some combination of churches, civic groups, historians and garden clubs.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion