The Hollywood Cemetery in Memphis has fallen into a state of disrepair, with grass growing so tall that it’s become difficult for people with loved ones buried there to find graves or markers.
“It looks like a jungle now,” says Gwen Nelson (whose mother and father lie in rest in Hollywood Cemetery. “And we did not bury our parents in a jungle. We buried them in a licensed, respectable cemetery.”
Others with loved ones buried in Hollywood Cemetery, like Hattie Banger, are taking their own action to return the grounds back to their former glory.
“We’ve cut the grass. We trimmed the hedges. We cut limbs from the trees that we could reach and get done,” Banger said. “We have not damaged any of these pit stones or markers, so we’re very careful about doing that because we want to reverence the people who are buried there and their families because it’s important, very important.”
Hollywood Cemetery is currently being maintained by a trust fund from First Horizon Bank, but the company has not reached out at this time with answers about further cleanup.
