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Mart community looks to revitalize historic cemetery

The Mart community is hoping to improve Evergreen Cemetery, a predominantly African-American cemetery just west of the town.

MART, Texas — The Mart community is hoping to improve a historic cemetery just west of the town.

Evergreen Cemetery is a predominantly African-American graveyard that is the resting place for some who were born as far back as the late 1800s.

The cemetery is hard to find, but that isn't stopping Mart residents from trying to keep its history.

Henry Witt, an engineer at MRB Group, said there have been several community-wide cleanup efforts focused on Evergreen Cemetery.

"This really is a community effort," Witt said. "There have been a lot of people involved with it as far a community members are concerned."

The graveyard is divided into two sections. During the cleanup efforts, residents spent time clearing out brush and debris to connect the older part of the cemetery to the more recent section so it will have access to a road.

Witt explained how the current layout creates a headache for mourners during large services. 

"You don't have a way to get around the cemetery," Witt said. "You have to wait for everyone to get out which causes a lot of traffic problems with a lot of different folks being out here at the same time."

The McLennan County Commissioners recently voted to donate 200 feet of base material for a driveway to connect the two sections using the Precinct 2 budget. 

City leaders are expected to have a meeting Thursday to discuss the project's schedule.

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