A DeWitt County landmark has been restored thanks to the dedicated efforts of a local nonprofit. 

Terri Lemmel with the DeWitt County Genealogical Society explains they set out to clean up and restore the historical Soldiers' Plot at Woodlawn Cemetery, which started about three years ago.  Joey Long explains it quickly turned into not only a restoration project but also a research project as they tried to uncover and honor the identities of each Civil War-era soldier. 

In honor of this restoration project's completion, the Genealogical Society is hosting a Dedication Ceremony this Saturday at 10 am. Lemmel hopes local veterans and community members will attend as they honor the dedication of past and present armed service members. 

Lemmel and a group of volunteers put in hours of hard work, not only researching, but also cleaning and repairing all of the 80 headstones of the men who are buried there. Participants of this project were specially certified and trained in the correct process so the stones were not further damaged. 

According to Lemmel, repairing and cleaning each headstone presented its own unique challenge, from broken pieces buried underground to re-engraving. Due to the special cleaning process, many look almost as good as new. 

Saturday is also Armed Forces Day, which honors current service members ahead of the Memorial Day celebration. Join the DeWitt County Genealogical Society at 10 am Saturday at the Soldiers Plot in the Woodlawn Cemetery. Learn more by finding the Genealogical Society on Facebook.