The historic Parsons Cemetery nestled in Salisbury requires constant upkeep and repairs in order to maintain the 18 acre property. Established in 1873, the waterfront cemetery is the final resting place for many of the area’s early families. Thanks to the Alison J. and Ella W. Parsons Fund through the Hampton Roads Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, many of the required repairs will become a reality over the next three years.
The $20,000 gift is the first installment of a $50,000 grant from the Alison & Ella Parsons Fund at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. The grant will finance the restoration of the cemetery gates, planting camellia hedges, and ornamental aluminum fencing. Future gifts to the cemetery fund will be used for restoration of the brick garden walls, and replacement of broken wall finials.
The Parsons Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund was established with the assistance and management of the Community Foundation of Eastern Shore with the mission to manage the cemetery and create ongoing revenue through the endowment fund to aid in maintenance expenses.
The Parsons Cemetery Advisory Committee invites all members of the community to visit this garden cemetery and enjoy its peaceful serene waterfront setting, its grounds, or the histories of many of this community’s ancestors as recorded on their memorials and monuments.
Feb 11, 2016: $20,000 check presented to the Parsons Cemetery Advisory Committee to establish the Alison J. and Ella W. Parsons Fund at the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.
From left to right: Rick Fahey, Carol Smith, R. Neil Carey of the Parsons Cemetery Advisory Committee. BJ Summers, Director of Development at CFES, and Tom Smith, also of PCAC.