Thanks to the support of our members and the dedication of our volunteers, Save Austin’s Cemeteries has accomplished great things in the past year! Here are some highlights of 2010 activities and accomplishments:
Educational Events
- February 20, 2010: Texas Republic walking tour
- May 8, 2010: Putting their Mark on Austin walking tour
- October 29, 2010: Cemetery Preservation session for the National
Trust for Historic Preservation annual conference – featured
tour of Plummers and Oakwood cemeteries
- October 30, 2010: Murder, Mayhem & Misadventure IV walking tour
with drama students from McCallum Academy and Austin High School
- November 13, 2010: Cemetery Symbolism presentation and walking
tour for the Texas Art Educators Association annual conference
- Private educational tours for schools and scout troops on
specialized topics by request
- Quarterly SAC meetings with guest speakers:
- January 9: Dr. David Gracy on the George Littlefield Family
- April 10: Aditi Worcester on Family Videography
- July 10: Danny Camacho on Ethnic Heritage in Austin
- October 9: David Martin on Austin's Ties to the Mier
Expedition
Preservation Activities
- Plot and gravestone documentation sessions are held every 1st
Saturday (weather permitting).This documentation helps track the
condition of cemetery features, and also helps us help the
families who own the cemetery plots.
- Austin Parks Foundation: It's My Park Day – On April 6,
2010 over 25 volunteers showed up to help clear trash that
accumulated between Plummers Cemetery and Givens Park.
- Oakwood Cemetery is now registered as a Historic Texas Cemetery
by the Texas Historical Commission, thanks to the efforts of
Dale Flatt.
Outreach
- SAC is pleased to work with individuals and companies seeking
community service opportunities. In the past year, we had
individuals, sorority groups, and scout troops conducting
headstone photo-documentation as their contribution to improving
the Austin community.
- We have added Paypal to our website for donations and
memberships.
- Our quarterly e-newsletter for members was launched in April
2010.
- Check out the new
online store
selling SAC products. Proceeds benefit SAC projects, such as the
Chapel Restoration Project.