JACKSONVILLE, Fla — The Old City Cemetery was established in 1852 and its age is showing, but family members of the loved ones buried there say being old is not an excuse for the graveyard being unkempt.
"There are beer cans everywhere, the decay on the walls," Gene Wood said.
Wood visited his family's gravesite last weekend and left the Old City Cemetery heartbroken.
"We came down here Saturday and we spent three hours to clean up our part of the cemetery," he said.
Wood said he was disappointed when he found his family's gravesite buried by tree branches and other debris.
"Captain Willie Morgan, who is my great, great uncle, donated this land to this city," Wood said. "These two graves were completely engulfed in a bush."
Wood said after he and his family cleaned the area, they were instructed by someone who lives on the property to toss debris over the side of the red brick wall so the city could pick it up.
"I think it is a crying shame the city can't come out here," Wood said.
On Your Side was told that the city mows the cemetery once a month. If the city doesn't, the Daughters of the Confederacy, which maintains the confederate gravesites, also mows the cemetery.
For the most part, the grass and weed appear under control, but there are trash and tree debris scattered across the gravesites.
Some of the headstones are collapsing, and there are other signs of neglect.
"These are people that worked for the city," Wood said. "These are people that put all their time into this city to build it."
On Your Side contacted City Councilman Reginald Gaffney as the cemetery is in his district.
Gaffney said there are city funds in the budget to maintain the Old City Cemetery.
"We do have money in this year's budget starting Oct. 1," Gaffney said. "We will start cleaning and removing all of the trash as soon as possible."
The Woods promise to return to finish the clean up they started. They would like the city to make preserving this landmark a priority.