A beautification project is currently in the works for Moseley Square Cemetery, a hillside plot located at 722 E. 5th Street. The Old Owensboro Neighborhood Alliance plans to revamp the site with shrubs, flowers and updated signage.
Currently, the small cemetery is somewhat tucked away and hidden from view, but its historical relevance is something the alliance wants to see honored and acknowledged.
“It was kind of the original graveyard for the soldiers of Owensboro, and a lot of it’s been relocated, but it kind of runs into the neighbor’s yards,” said alliance treasurer and secretary Christara Lee. “So, we’re hoping to have it framed in with some shrubbery or bushes.”
Alliance President Schuyler Glahn said that while most of the original bodies had been exhumed and relocated over time, some soldiers from the Revolutionary War remain buried there at the cemetary.
“That could be a really cool thing to make it more of a spot to visit,” he said. “But between seeing some of the neighbor’s yards that are kind of dilapidated and the tire shop right next to it, we’re planning on putting some hedges around it and a garden.”
Glahn said the alliance was currently working with the city’s botanist to design the garden.
A previous beautification project took place at the cemetery years ago, Glahn said.
“When my aunt was on the board, they had done a little bit of beautification,” he said. “They added a spotlight. I think those have become non-functioning or have disappeared entirely. It would really enhance the area to [update it].”
Lee said she hoped to include some new signage as part of the beautification process. While the cemetery currently has a historical marker sign, it’s out of view for the majority of people.
“We’d definitely like to get it more visible from the street,” Glahn said. “Once you’re up there, it’s really cool. You see all the steeples downtown and the bridge. It’s a cool overlook.”
