WHISPERS IN THE CEDARS

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Subcommittee of The Port Gibson Heritage Trust - 501c(3)

P. O. Box 751, Port Gibson, MS  39150

“Wintergreen Cemetery-Whispers in the Cedars”

 

Mission

Whispers in the Cedars is dedicated to the preservation, improvement and perpetual care of Wintergreen Cemetery/Protestant Cemetery Association of Port Gibson, Mississippi.  The all-volunteer group works to assist the families of Wintergreen Cemetery but is not part of the Wintergreen board or cemetery association.  

 

Scope of Work

Whispers in the Cedars is a non-profit group open to anyone interested in improving and sustaining Wintergreen Cemetery.  We complete our own projects that focus on improvements and aesthetics, and we also assist the cemetery board with special needs.  With the Wintergreen board managing its finances to assure long-term, routine operation, the Whispers in the Cedars volunteers are completely separate, and we have provided countless hours of labor for storm clean-up, monument repairs and buildings/grounds upgrades.  We have worked hard to meet the overwhelming challenges of tornadoes, ice storms, vandalism, labor shortages, increased costs and dwindling population.  We assist families who cannot be physically present and genealogists in search of information.  

 

Whispers in the Cedars can continue only through fundraising efforts and donations that are tax deductible, with 100% of money raised being applied to the group’s mission.  In-kind goods and services are utilized when possible to conserve funds for expensive projects such as tree removal, which has run from $2,000.00 to $7,000.00 per tree.  

 

Who Are We?  And Why??

We are a small team of barely a dozen who are active regularly, although others assist off and on as they can.  Not all Whispers in the Cedars volunteers own plots in Wintergreen Cemetery.  Some of us have generations of family members resting here, but others have no connection except for that strong and most important link – a desire to see historic, beloved Wintergreen maintained for the future.  

 

We all know the changes that our area has suffered.  Much is remembered but lost to us.  Wintergreen, however, is a jewel that remains!  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 22, 1979, and its perpetual care is a living monument to OUR past, OUR story and OUR people.  We hope to ensure that it does not disappear into history but that it is preserved for history, untouched by forces that have taken so much.  Could there be any better reason to prevent it from being swept away as just another of our lost treasures?    

 

We Need You

The volunteers of Whispers in the Cedars welcome your participation.  For those in the local area, there are character tours that require everything from research to acting to ticket sales to grounds preparation to sponsor recruitment to program prep to costuming to cooking!  We host grounds and monument clean-up and homecoming events, assist families and historians and complete repair and beautification projects.  There are ongoing needs for physical labor as well as monetary and in-kind donations, and we especially appreciate a show of support by participation in our tours/events and by simply spreading this message.  There are many ways to help whether you are near or far, whether your family is in Wintergreen or whether you yourself plan to rest here one day.  If you are someone who shares our interest and wishes to honor those who have gone before us, then please join in and support our efforts to sustain Wintergreen Cemetery - where whispers are heard in the cedars!