A historic San Marcos cemetery which had been threatened by cattle, untend-ed growth and fallen wood is in much better shape now thanks to restoration efforts by members of the Hays County Historical Commission.
Commission members originally paid a visit in the summer of 2007 to the Byrd Owen-Payne Cemetery, located in old Stringtown, along Hunter Road and just below Centerpoint Road.
They arranged for a full day of maintenance work in May 2008, completely clearing the site of underbrush, overgrowth, and fallen wood. They noted at that time that several gravestones had fallen from their bases.
In a recent follow-up visit, Historical Commission Cemetery Committee Chair Jim Cullen, along with Eugene Herry and Richard Gomez, made repairs to the fallen gravestones, righting and leveling those that had toppled off their bases.
Restoration of once abandoned and neglected county cemeteries has been a primary goal of the Historical Commission. Efforts at the Cocke Cemetery just outside Buda resulted in a major clean-up of the one-acre site, led by Eagle Scout Brad Weber of Buda in June of 2007. Weber and his crew, along with commission volunteers, completed the project over several weeks and even placed a landscape timber walkway near the entrance of the cemetery. Weber was recognized by the Historical Commission for his efforts. The commission continues to oversee regular groundswork at the site.
The Coronado or "La Luz" Cemetery in Goforth is another ongoing restoration site, where commission members have been joined by volunteers of the Lehman High School National Honor Society.
