Clarksville preservation, fun run continue
News
By Julie Samrick
As El Dorado Hills teems with modern growth, high on a hill above the Mercedes-Benz dealership the Clarksville Cemetery (once called the Mormon Tavern Cemetery) houses the remains of approximately 90 individuals dating back to 1853.
Corporal Samuel E. Kyburz, a veteran of the Civil War and prominent figure in California’s history, was buried in the Clarksville Cemetery in 1917.
Founded in 2006 to identify and preserve objects of historical interest, the nonprofit Clarksville Region Historical Society “enlists public support for the historical preservation and display of documents, artifacts, records and other objects of historical interest related to historic Clarksville and the surrounding region.”
“The cemetery is the most pressing preservation because it’s subject to vandalism and we want to protect it,” said CRHS founding member Betty January. “There’s a lot of history there.”
Clarksville preservation, fun run continue
El Dorado Hills resident Bryce Groess crosses the finish line to win the first Lincoln Highway 8K Run/Jog/Walk in 2016. Early registration has opened for the second annual event Oct. 14. Courtesy photo
CRHS made its latest improvement to the Clarksville Cemetery last week, installing three benches in the shade. “We wanted to make sure folks who visit have a place to rest,” CRHS President Doug Hus said.
Volunteers with the non-profit have been organizing cemetery improvements for years, Hus explained. In 2008 Boy Scout Jeff Carlson used a cadaver dog to locate unmarked graves as part of his Eagle Scout project. In 2014 610 feet of wrought iron perimeter fencing was installed. CRHS members also secured grants and donations to improve the entrance and restore crumbling pillars.
Hus said the society’s next project will be to create a gravel road up to the cemetery gates to “make it more conducive for people to get there.”
Along with a grant from El Dorado County as well as a grant from the El Dorado Hills Community Foundation, Hus thanked the following donors for making the latest improvements possible: CRHS, Dr. Robert Sparks, Kevin Nagle, MJM Properties, John & Fran Thomson and Vindler Real Estate Group.
Hus also plugged CRHS’s upcoming second annual Historic Lincoln Highway 8K fun run scheduled for Oct. 14.
Participants may park at the former EDH Natural Farms, 1941 Old Bass Lake Road in El Dorado Hills, where the race begins and ends. The scenic race route winds down Old Bass Lake Road (original Lincoln Highway) under Highway 50 on Clarksville Crossing to the red barn in the ghost town of Clarksville and back.
Race registration is $20 for adults and $10 for children. Commemorative Lincoln Highway T-shirts are available during the early registration period and while supplies last. Arrive by 8 a.m. on race day as the race begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. For more information about CRHS and to register for the run visit edhhistory.org.
Printed in the August 23, 2017 edition on page A1 | Published on August 23, 2017 | Last Modified on August 23, 2017 at 9:01 am