After 80 years, Leechburg Cemetery gets new sign thanks to Rotary Club’s efforts
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The Leechburg Cemetery has a new entry sign that pays homage to its original.
The sign at the cemetery was scrapped for metal in the 1940s during World War II and it hadn’t been replaced. The cemetery was founded in 1864.
Longtime cemetery volunteer Larry Boehm, 47, installed the sign himself Sunday.
“The original sign was melted down for the war effort,” Boehm said. “This is a project we wanted to do since we started sprucing up the cemetery.”
The laser-cut aluminum sign, posts and hardware cost $2,600, paid for by the Leechburg Rotary Club.
Leechburg Rotary Club executive secretary Pat Gerheim said the rotary has applied for a grant through Rotary District 7280, which would cover $1,500 of the costs, if approved.
“Rotary tries to do things to improve the community and the sign aesthetically improves the look of the cemetery,” Gerheim said.
The sign was made locally at Omni-Fab in New Kensington by Jim Frank.
The private, five-acre cemetery overlooks parts of Route 66 from high ground off of Pershing and Evergreen roads.
More than 600 grave sites, almost 100 which honor veterans, are cared for and maintained by The Leechburg Cemetery Company, formed in 2011 and comprised of about ten volunteers.
Burials haven’t been permitted since 1996.
The project began in August and Boehm said he worked about a week designing the new sign, referencing the original sign which was stamped and enameled and had more ornate posts.
“We didn’t have the funds or capability to come up with something like that but it’s as close to the original as we could get,” said LCC vice-president Boehm. “It’s a new version of the old sign, which was removed in 1942. We felt it was right to put it back.”
LCC operates on a scant budget of less than $150 annually and relies on donations from the public.
To donate: message The Leechburg Cemetery Company on Facebook.