NEDERLAND — Volunteers from Nederland Community Presbyterian Church recently conducted its annual cleanup of the Town of Nederland Cemetery.

A crew of eight men and women mowed and weed-whacked the tall grass as well as provided maintenance of the gravesites as a public service. 

"We do this each year as a way of showing respect to the families who built this community we are fortunate to call home," said project coordinator and Nederland resident Jim Reis. "In many cases, there are no longer any local relatives of the deceased, so we step in to honor their families in their absence." 

Nederland Community Presbyterian Church Member Jim Reis, who coordinates the effort, mows the high grass at the Town of Nederland Cemetery as part of the church's annual maintenance efforts.

Photo courtesy of Margie Yansura

The historic Nederland Cemetery is located off Forest Road and was established in 1873. It holds the remains of 313 early mining town pioneers. In 1895, graves were relocated to this site from a previous 1875 cemetery to make room for local road development.

The first recorded burial at the original site was nine-year-old Elizabeth Iowa Hetzer in 1873. After that initial burial, the town opened a second cemetery in 1875. As the town grew, the need for road development forced the closure of the 1875 plot. In 1895, the town carefully dug up the coffins and headstones, moving them to the current Nederland Cemetery site.