“We found we had no gravesites for families. If you came in and wanted five or six sites, we did not have them together, so the board decided to expand the cemetery,” said Gerry Collins, chairman of the Oxford Cemetery Association board of directors.
That portion of land is four-tenths of an acre in a cemetery that is approximately 53 acres overall with plenty more land to develop when needed, he said.
“It’s a relatively large piece of ground with plenty of room to expand,” Collins said. “As a result of the expansion, we estimate we will have about 15 years of additional gravesites.”
The new section sits in the south part of the cemetery. Collins said the land was relatively flat there and the board hired a company to remove vegetation and do some grading last summer. Grass seed was planted in the fall and the area is “ready to go any time,” he said.
The new area opening is not the only recent change at Oxford Cemetery.
The chapel has had a columbarium added for those seeking a place for ashes following cremation. The urns are placed on shelves behind glass with possible name plaques in memory of the deceased person. With many urns so ornate, Collins said, it was felt the glass front was preferable to enclosing them.
A road widening along U.S. 27 last year also impacted the grounds where the cemetery is located.
The road project forced the removal of a home which had previously been used by the cemetery’s superintendent and the cemetery entrance looks a little different.
While the cemetery’s stone entrance gates are still in place, the grading of the driveway prevents the actual gates from opening and closing. The stone entryway was donated by Joan Redpath some years ago and trustees found moving them would have been an expensive proposition.
“Widening the road took the house and about an acre of property but it did not really interfere with operation, other than the superintendent cannot live on the property,” Collins said.
There had been lights on top of the stone entry pillars, but electric service was also lost in the road project. Solar-powered lights are planned to replace the former lighting at the cemetery’s entrance.
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