On May 24, Rose Sturdivant Young, president and founder of a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C. (Friends of Old Westview Cemetery, Inc.) met with U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, the representative for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. The purpose of the meeting was to share with Pittenger information about Young’s ongoing project of restoring and maintaining the African-American Cemetery located in Wadesboro.

Young, formerly from Wadesboro, now resides in Washington, D.C. The mission of the non-profit organization is to restore and maintain the cemetery. Young began this project in 2001 when her family took their mother back to Wadesboro for burial next to her father. Upon seeing the condition of the cemetery, she vowed to restore it and put the cemetery on the map. Since working on the restoration for the last several years and making improvements, Young subsequently applied to have the cemetery placed on the national register. In April 2015, the mission was accomplished. The cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historical Places.

The corporation is celebrating its 16th anniversary and its goal remains to be continuing the restoration and maintenance of the cemetery.

Since 2012, Friends of Old Westview Cemetery has hired a local landscaping company to clean the cemetery twice a year. Future plans are to continue to cut and remove excess trees throughout the property, reset broken headstones, fill-in sunken graves.

The group’s most important project at this time is to secure funds for the installation of a fence around the cemetery to prevent vandalism.

It is still trying to acquire grants, donations and other funds to assist with the project.

“We sincerely hope that the meeting with Rep. Pittenger will be fruitful,” Young said. “If anyone who has loved ones buried in the Westview Cemetery and would like to make a donation or assist with this project, please contact the office in Washington, D.C. at 301-675-4476 or e-mail Oldwestview01@gmail.com.”

The Friends of Old Westview Cemetery will hold its 16th annual holiday gala fundraising on Dec. 9 at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.

Courtesy photo Rose Young, founder of Friends of Old Westview Cemetery, poses for a photo with Congressman Robert Pittenger.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_anson_young_pittenger.jpgCourtesy photo Rose Young, founder of Friends of Old Westview Cemetery, poses for a photo with Congressman Robert Pittenger.

For the Record