McCreary County Cemetery Map

McCREARY PIONEERS CEMETERY PRESERVATION SOCIETY INC. 

BALLOU-WORLEY

CUMBERLAND FALLS STATE PARK NATURE PRESERVE

McCREARY COUNTY, KY

      On Dec. 23, 2003 Sam Perry and Lloyd Perry met with Kyle Napier of the Kentucky Nature Preserve Commission for a visit to the Ballou-Worley Cem. located on the Cumberland Falls State Park Nature Preserve in McCreary County.  This meeting was arranged in order to establish premission to begin the preservation of the cemetery which had laid uncared for since the 1920's.  The property where the cemetery is located once was the home place of John and Mary Ballou and had in recent years been acquired by the Kentucky Dept. of Parks who intern established the nature preserve which is under the managment of the Kentucky Nature Preserve Commission.  At this meeting an agreement between Mr. Napier and the represenatives of McCreary Pioneers Cemetery Preservation Society Inc. The agreement set forth was that MPCS would provide the man power and resources in which the preservation could begin and would under our own operating proceeders restore the cemetery to its orginal condition in as much as was humanly possible.  Mr. Napier agreed that a later date he would return to the cemetery to spray for undesirable growth of vegitation.  We were also informed at this time that the only access to the cemetery would be by foot travel only as prescribed under the operating orders of the Kentucky Nature Preserve Commission. 

        On Dec. 30, 2003 10 members of MPCPS began the preservation of the cemetery.  On this visit basic cleaning began with the clearing of unwanted vegitation and the the removale of leaf litter.  We found that two grave were identifiable through markings on the stones.  They were the graves of: Mary H Neal  born 11 April (year date is unrecognizabel)  died 4 Jan. 1858  wife of Lewis Renfro and the grave of Willis Worley born 17 Jan. 1806 and died 14 Sept. 1860.   On this visit a total of 50 man hours were spent during the clean up. 

        On Saturday March 27, 2004  we agian visited the cemetery in order to finish the removal of trees that were endangering the cemetery.  14 people attend this work project and we would like to thank Ruben Perry, a professional arborist, for volunteering his services and skills in the removale of several trees that were endangering the cemetery.  These trees were pines that had died as a result of the recent southern pine beetle invasion that has plagued the forest.  On this visit we spent 4 hours for a total of 56 man hours.  At this time we are planning a rededication service which will be announced in the future.  Also on this visit we were honored to have with us two of our members who are direct decendants of Mary H Neal, Valda Johnson and Geneva Dunlap were able to attend.

        On this cemetery we have spent a total of 106 man hours in the preservation of the cemetery.We would like to thank everyone who has helped support our efforts in the preservation of the cemetery.