Editor, Smithfield Times

We thank Kathy Mountjoy and W. Peyton Barlow, as well as his grandson Liam, for presenting a really excellent and informative tour of Ivy Hill Cemetery last Saturday. They all offered a rare depth of personal knowledge that enhanced the tour immeasurably. Our county’s long story is rich with many local figures who truly made a positive difference in the development of our county and also well beyond its borders. They are remembered well by respectful visits to their final resting places.

That this tour will become a regular part of our tourism program is commendable. It is an effort to not only educate our own selves but to inform the greater public by welcoming tourists into our county.

We could also hope that others with an interest in the lives of past generations will adopt other cemeteries to care for and present to the public. Our future is built on the remembered deeds of past generations and we do well to respect those who have secured a strong base upon which future generations may prosper.

Also, this reminds me that it’s now time to move that strangely misplaced VDOT “Ivy Hill Cemetery” historical marker from its current and inappropriate location at the front door of the Museum. It should be placed somewhere close to its namesake where it will be meaningful. And, as you may have supposed, I do have several suggestions for a much more appropriate historical marker for the Town of Smithfield’s principle intersection.

Albert Burckard
Carrollton