There are dozens of historic cemeteries in Texarkana that date back to the city’s first years, the Texarkana Museum System is offering a hands-on Cemetery Maintenance Workshop and Living History Tour on April 2.

The purpose of these workshops is to bring awareness to these historic burial grounds in our community. The workshop for beginners will be at 11 AM on April 2 and is co-sponsored by the Texarkana Funeral Home with lunch provided by Subway

Phil Nye/TSM
Phil Nye/TSM
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The workshop will be hosted by Leita Spears, supervisor of interpretive programs at Historic Washington State Park. Spears has been with Arkansas State Parks since 2011 has led tombstone cleaning workshops at sites such as the Pioneer Cemetery in Washington, Arkansas.

“Participants will learn the dos and don’ts of cleaning headstones,” explained TMS Curator, Jamie Simmons.

“It’s very important to use the right materials and techniques when cleaning stone or else you could do much more damage without realizing it.

Bleach may kill mold, but it could also destroy your ancestor’s burial marker.

State Line Cemetery is located at the corner of East 32nd Street and State Line Avenue in downtown Texarkana.

Cemetery
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There are over 25 cemeteries located within Texarkana, many of which house burials dating back to the mid 19th century. Weather, neglect, and even vandalism can take a toll on historic markers and tombstones.

Following the cleanup, beginning at 6:30 PM., TMS begins the new season of "Twilight Tours" with a guided walking tour of State Line Cemetery. The tour includes living history performances at select gravesites. The tour route is wheelchair friendly and TMS Staff is on hand to assist where needed. Tour tickets are just $15 each or $10 for TMS members. Parking is not allowed in the cemetery during the walking to the walking tour.

Cemetery
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Please visit TexarkanaMuseums.org/Events for tickets and pricing or call 903-793-4831 or visit their Facebook page.

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