A fund to support the Historic Old Ossian Cemetery has been established with the Wells County Foundation Inc., and the fund has been bolstered with a $10,000 donation from Ellis and Marilynn McFadden.
Other donors wishing to support the effort to restore the old cemetery can send a check, payable to the foundation, with Historic Old Ossian Cemetery on the memo line of the check.
The board of the cemetery met May 16 to receive the donation from the McFaddens.
The board was established in February to bring the cemetery to historic standards. The cemetery was established in 1847, and volunteers have put in more than 135 hours of research thus far to identify more than 160 people buried in the cemetery — a total that includes 13 Civil War veterans.
Phase 1 of the restoration will include removal of trees and brush, with Phase 2 featuring repairs of the tombstones. Once the restoration is complete, the board will photograph and document the gravestones in the cemetery.
The completed work will be shared with local libraries and historical organizations.
