Tombstone Tuesday - William M. Lea (1817-1887)

William M. Lea, D.D.
b. 26 July 1817
d. 14 June 1887
"Moved to Tenn. at age of 20 years. Joined the Baptist Church in 1852.
Sent by MB to Ark. Spent his life in the cause of Christ.
Died near Conway"

William M. Lea was born in North Carolina and served as a Baptist Missionary in Tennessee. He came to Arkansas in 1852 where he was instrumental in starting many churches in the eastern part of the state.[1] "Sometimes pastor of churches; sometimes performing missionary labor; with his headquarters at someplace; but his home at no place, and yet he seemed to be really at home wherever duty called him." Prior to the Civil War, Rev. Lea served as the president of the Arkansas Baptist State Conventions and as the Chaplin of the Arkansas State Senate.[2] Rev. Lea moved to Conway in about 1873 and served as the pastor for First Baptist Church from 1877-1882.[3] Rev. Lea was one of the ministers who performed the formal rites for the dedication of Oak Grove Cemetery in 1881.

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[1] Kirkland, Rick L. Descendant of William M. Lea.

[2] Watson, P.G.S. A Bio of William M Lea, written in 1881. Online at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=97000687&ref=acom.

[3] Kirkland.

Tombstone Tuesday - George Washington Bruce (1838-1919)

George Washington Bruce

b. 30 October 1838

d. 11 November 1919

"He Served His Generation"

"I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith."

George W. Bruce was born in South Carolina, but moved to Georgia following the death of his father in 1841. He enlisted in the Confederate Army, took part in the second Battle of Manassas, advanced to the rank of colonel, and was captured by the Union and held in a Federal prison until the end of the war. After moving to Conway in 1873, Bruce became instrumental in establishing both Central Baptist College and Hendrix College. He also practiced law and tried the first murder case in Faulkner County; his client was acquitted.[1] Bruce became the first president of the Oak Grove Cemetery organization on March 9, 1880. He was elected to the State House of Representatives in 1881 and served as mayor of Conway from 1917-1919.[2] The street on which Oak Grove Cemetery was built was later named Bruce Street in his honor.

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[1] Gatewood, Robert L. Conway and Faulkner County: 1820-1961. n.d.
[2] Faulkner County Historical Society. Faulkner County: Its Land and People. Ed. Doris B. Dolan, Hattie Ann Kelso and Corinne H. Robinson. Conway: River Road Press, 1986.

Coming Soon: Columbarium at Oak Grove

The Oak Grove Cemetery Board has embarked on a major project, the construction of an in-ground columbarium area.  Landscape architect Barry Williams of Crafton Tull is in charge of the design.  This project has been in the works for some time, and as soon as plans are finalized, construction will begin.  The columbarium garden is to be constructed southeast of the gazebo, which is located in the heart of the cemetery and was donated some years ago by the Robinette family.  We are very pleased that Patricia Thessing, immediate past president, remains involved in the planning and fundraising for the columbarium project.  We hope you'll watch here as plans develop and construction begins!

Log Cabin Democrat Article - Feb 24 2014

A New Year at Oak Grove

Every January, new board members join Oak Grove and we are very pleased to welcome Elizabeth Cohen, Shirley Merritt, and Linda Rogers in 2014!  Following an orientation get-together, the new members attended their first meeting in January.


We are very thankful for the service of both Patricia Thessing and Sue Siria, whose terms ended in December.  Patricia has most recently served as the President of the Board where she championed the recent beautification efforts at the cemetery.  Sue has most recently served as the Secretary of the Board.  The cemetery is all the better for them having served it!

A new slate of officers was also selected at the January meeting:
Carol Powers - President
Jason Hansen - Vice-President
Brenda Collier - Secretary
Chris Odom - Treasurer

Great things are happening at Oak Grove Cemetery and we invite you to visit any time!  Keep watching for more exciting news to come throughout the year.

VolunteerConway.org Big Event

On November 1, 2013, Oak Grove Cemetery is participating in VolunteerConway.org's Big Event by hosting volunteers at the cemetery to help with some clean-up and maintenance projects which include mulching, weeding, raking, trimming and more.

We'll be there 8:00 - 11:00 am this Friday, so stop on by to lend a hand!  You can even register ahead of time at:
Oak Grove Cemetery Volunteer Sign-Up.

Join us for a day of fun while lending a hand to the cemetery and community!

To learn more about VolunteerConway.org, please visit:  http://www.volunteerconway.org/

Central Landing

It is certainly an exciting time to be in Conway, Arkansas!  On October 10, the Conway Development Corporation and Jim Wilson Associates of Montgomery, Alabama, announced plans to jointly develop Central Landing on the site of the current (soon to be vacated) Cantrell Field airport just north of the cemetery.  We are excited to have new neighbors and very pleased that the city is considering the possibility of expanding Oak Grove Cemetery to the north with a portion of this land.

Check out these links for more details:

http://www.developconway.org/news/%E2%80%9Ccentral-landing%E2%80%9D-development-announced-for-conway

http://thecabin.net/news/local/2013-10-10/central-landing-fits-citys-master-plan

http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2013/10/10/conway-to-get-major-shoppingliving-development

Voluntary Taxes

When paying your personal property taxes this month, be sure to include your voluntary taxes. Historic Oak Grove Cemetery is supported by a portion of the voluntary tax millage and we very much appreciate your help!