Local Historian Boosts Efforts to Preserve Historic Cemetery

Tucked away on Old Baillie’s Bluff Road, just west of the intersection of US 19 and State Road 54, lies a little known piece of history - and it's suffering.

After years of neglect and outright mistreatment, the West Elfers Cemetery is now the site of a major restoration project, headed by local historian Jeff Cannon.

As founder and president of the four-year-old West Elfers Cemetery Preservation Association (WECPA), Jeff Cannon, a Hudson resident, has been working to involve the community, county and families associated with the cemetery to preserve the historic site.  Since starting the association in 2007, Cannon has brought about routine maintenance on vegetation and headstones, more precise records and maps of burial sites, a recently updated marker, and even a new locking fence that was once badly damaged. The WECPA most recently received a grant from the national antiquities group Questers, which they used to buy supplies for setting compound and to restore damaged headstones.

“The goal is to make it the respectful burial place it was intended to be,” says Cannon. “Most non-commercial cemeteries don’t receive the attention they deserve.”

The West Elfers Cemetery was established in 1877 and has mainly been a burial ground for veterans spanning seven US wars, dignitaries, government employees, and church officials. Cannon’s own great grandparents and aunts and uncles have plots in the historic cemetery, which is still an active burial ground. Since the cemetery is the resting place of so many veterans, an annual Memorial Day service has been implemented by the WECPA with support from the Knights of Columbus and local funeral homes, during which one veteran is usually honored. Last year’s service included a flag donation from the KOC as well as guest speaker Senator Mike Fasano.

KOC member Dan Poulter has been actively involved in assisting with the restoration project and applauds Cannon’s efforts.

“If it wasn’t for Jeff, we wouldn’t even have even known about the project,” Poulter says. “Anything we can do, we try to help.”

The WECPA holds six meetings a year to designate cleanup days and to plan the annual Memorial Day Service. Cannon himself sends press releases out to the community to bring awareness to the project, and he is currently working to involve Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts in cleanup days and the Memorial Day service.  On top of visiting the cemetery regularly, Cannon runs the meetings and ensures that the standards set in place for maintaining the site are followed. Ultimately, Cannon hopes the preservation efforts set in place at the West Elfers Cemetery are used as a role model for all local historic cemeteries.

“An historic cemetery should be enjoyed just as much as a park,” Cannon says. “We want to bring awareness to the beauty and history here, which have been at risk for too long.”

Cannon is also Director of the Pasco County Historical Preservation Society and also Vice President of the Hudson Cemetery Preservation Association.

The West Elfers Cemetery Preservation Association requires paid membership for voting rights, although non-members are encouraged to become involved. The association can be e-mailed  at westelferscemetery@gmail.com,  and Jeff Cannon can be reached at info@pascocemeteries.org.