Cemetery Maintenance and Preservation Project by Captain Jeff Lewis will be the topic at Tuesday night’s 6:00 meeting of the Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society in the Knox Room of the Donald W. Reynolds Library in Mountain Home.
The cemetery restoration program began in 2009, when it was created by the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, as a way to allow inmates to go out into the community and work. Captain Lewis chose the project to find and restore neglected cemeteries in Baxter County. Talburt Cemetery in Mountain Home was the first cemetery restored by the program. All inmate labor is voluntary and done under the guidelines of state law and the sheriff’s office guidelines.
Lewis is a Baxter County native and lifelong resident. He is a graduate of Cotter High School and obtained his AAS Criminal Justice degree in 2002 from Arkansas State University-Mountain Home. Lewis has spent 30 years in law enforcement and is currently captain at the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office. Since 2009, he has served as the secretary-treasurer and director of the Baxter County Sheriff’s Foundation. He is also a past chairperson of the Board of Ozark Opportunities. Additionally, Lewis is active in local politics and is serving his second term as recorder-treasurer of the City of Gassville. Lewis currently serves as secretary of the Fraternal Order of Police and treasurer of the Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society.
The Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 at the library. The meetings are free and open to the public. The society is currently requesting donation items for the upcoming yard sale scheduled for May 11th through May 12th at the Buford Schoolhouse.
For more information, contact the society at 870-425-2551 or visit the Baxter County Heritage center at 808 South Baker on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon until 4:00 p.m. Visit their website at www.baxtercountyhistory.org or visit their Facebook page at Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI