Just a few weeks after an ugly disaster devastated the Mount Zion Cemetery in Wheeling, W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice is scheduled to visit this afternoon to offer a handsome dollar amount of help to repair and restore the historic burial ground.
According to Charles Yocke, president of the Wheeling Mount Zion Cemetery Corp., the Governor, members of his staff, and local elected officials will convene at the graveyard today at 2 p.m. so funds can be awarded for the upcoming project. A few different engineers, Yocke said, have estimated the damage amount caused by a gigantic mudslide on April 3rd to be about $2 million.
“I’ve been told the Governor will present us with the amount it will take to get it back into good shape,” Yocke said. “That amount is $2 million, and that’s just a miracle to those of us who have been taking care of this place. It was our worst nightmare when we saw what happened with the hillside, but now this is going to be a dream come true.
“We’ve received a lot of support since it happened, and we’ve received about $11,000 in donations in just a short few weeks, but with the Governor coming to give us this money, we know now that we’ll be able to put this place back together the way it needs to be,” he said. “Plus, we get to meet Baby Dog, and I think that’s going to be really fun.”
The mudslide impacted as many as 125 grave markers at Mount Zion, a cemetery that rests along Fairmont Avenue and is the resting place for more than 400 American veterans.
“That includes veteran from the Civil War,” Yocke said. “We have a ton of history in this area, and it dates back even past the Civil War so that’s why this place has been so important to me and some other people like Paula Stein. When this mudslide took place, there were a lot of people who came out to offer help.
“It’s going to be great having Governor Justice and the other lawmakers here, but I’m really looking forward to seeing the families who have loved ones here. They are the ones this is really going to help,” Yocke explained. “When this disaster happened, it was the families I thought about first, so this get-together we’re having today is more for them than anyone else.”
Those wishing to watch the check presentation at the cemetery or from Fairmont Avenue should know law enforcement will take care of the traffic control.
“It’s tight out there, so there’s not a lot of room,” Yocke advised. “Just do what (law enforcement) what they tell ya and everything should be OK. It’s going to be a good for those of us connected to the cemetery.”
