Molly Lindahl walked gingerly along the steep slopes of Oak Hill Cemetery Monday, stopping here to pick up a plastic candy wrapper, and there to kick dirt into a woodchuck hole next to an old gravestone.

Lindahl, who is secretary of the Oak Hill Cemetery Association, which provides stewardship for the property, did an informal walking tour of key areas of the cemetery Monday. The purpose was to point out the condition of century-old headstones toppled over and in disrepair from the onslaught of time as well as vandalism.

Lindahl and others with the cemetery association are getting the word out that the community’s  help is needed to continue with the upkeep of the 150-year-old cemetery, which includes a Civil War plot, graves of Bradford’s early mayors, elaborate statues and majestic monuments. Also interned on the site is one of Bradford’s foremost founders, Col. Leavitt C. Little.

The issue came to light last week when cemetery association president and fundraising chairman John Watson wrote a letter to the editor in The Era in response to a woman’s written criticism of Oak Hill’s condition.

“When we first started (the cemetery association in 2008), the grass was real high near the graves,” Lindahl said while pausing in a shady area of the cemetery above the Civil War plot containing the graves of 100 soldiers and sailors from the area.

Now, through the efforts of the cemetery association, more than 30 acres of property are mowed by professionals near graves and mausoleums containing 16,500 graves. Volunteers such as herself, Watson and other board members pick and cut up fallen limbs, clean moss from stone staircases and gather litter, as needed.

Others in the community, including Frisina and Luther Mini Excavation Services, help grade the dirt roads, which have washed out areas following heavy rains. Ralph Rose, owner of Wright Monumental Works, located on East Main Street, also sits on the board and has helped with the upkeep.

In addition, fourth-grade students from School Street Elementary School visit annually to mark veterans’ graves with flags.  

Watson noted grass cutting alone on the extensive property costs nearly $5,000 per cutting, and has to be done six to seven times yearly.

“There’s no income coming in, except for what we raise from private donors,” Watson said, noting donations are placed in a foundation fund. “It’s kind of hard to raise money when it costs us $35,000 to mow every year. The spring of this year has been really tough because of all the bad storms and trees coming down.”

Lindahl, a genealogist for Bradford Landmark Society, said money for this is supplied through the endowment fund, with its interest used for maintenance of the property. While the cemetery has nonprofit status, it doesn’t qualify as an historic site which could receive grants, as the property conducts approximately five burials a year, due to contractual obligations. A cemetery can be considered historic if it hasn’t had a burial in 50 years.

Watson said this status indeed makes Oak Hill a “dead cemetery,” since the property doesn’t receive funds from regular burials and can’t be funded by grants.

Watson admitted Oak Hill is in “a lot better shape” than it had been before the cemetery association and an endowment fund were established. Additional help is still needed, however, because of the amount of continuous care needed.

When asked why Oak Hill should not only be saved, but improved, Watson said there are several reasons. First off, he noted Oak Hill is the largest cemetery in McKean County and the second-oldest.

“And really, it’s a beautiful place,” he said. “If people want to go up there, they can walk and look out over the highest place in Bradford and see down in town,” he said. “The Firemen’s Monument (which can be seen from many areas of town) is also up there.”