The waist-high grass and weeds are gone.
The dead trees have been removed.
And the gravestones that had toppled over have been righted.
Mount Hope Cemetery — a private, eight-acre burial ground in Akron that had been left for dead — hasn’t looked this good in ages.
That’s cause for celebration.
The Mount Hope Cemetery Corp., a nonprofit that took ownership of the property last year, will host a rededication ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday to show off its beautification efforts.
Despite the cemetery’s storied history — it’s home to Revolutionary War veteran Thomas Granger and many Civil War veterans — Mount Hope had fallen into deep disrepair years ago as the previous owner couldn’t maintain the property.
“It was a mess,” Tom Venarge said Friday as he wandered through the tree-spotted cemetery, pointing out many of the changes and the well-known Akron family names from years ago such as Triplett, Falor and Gottwald.
“These were the people shaping Akron before the tire barons came in here,” he said.
Venarge and his father, David Venarge, who run APV Engineered Coatings across South Main Street from the cemetery, have led the charge to improve the property and formed the nonprofit that now owns Mount Hope.
They, along with many others, became interested after Akron Beacon Journal columnist Bob Dyer chronicled its poor condition in May 2012.
APV was established in 1878 and has been around nearly as long as the cemetery, where people were buried starting in the 1820s.
Mount Hope, which is home to more than 7,000 remains, was established in 1866, meaning it’s celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
Once made aware of the problem — Tom Venarge admitted he had passed by the property for years without giving it any thought — the Venarges decided they couldn’t look the other way.
“Somebody has to care,” said Tom Venarge, who has a passion for history.
He estimated that they spent $60,000 last year on improvements. APV employees even do cleanup and security at the property.
While the nonprofit is no longer selling plots, people who have purchased grave sites are still buried there.
The cemetery is no money-maker, as maintenance costs outweigh any revenue. But that doesn’t dissuade the Venarges.
“This isn’t a couple of guys buzzing through town,” Tom Venarge said. “We’ve been here 138 years and we’re going to take care of this thing. That’s our commitment.”
The beautification hasn’t gone unnoticed in the neighborhood.
There are houses around the sides of the property that doesn’t front South Main.
“I love the improvement,” said John Johnson, 67, who lives on Sweitzer Avenue across from the cemetery.
He used to help dig graves there by hand when he was growing up.
“It was in bad shape,” he added. “One man tried to take care of it for years.”
Tom Venarge said there should be no ill will directed at former caretaker Bob Heilman, who has since died and is buried on the property.
Some have accused Heilman of running off with money. But he was dying of cancer at the time he left and the cemetery wasn’t making any money, Tom Venarge said.
“He did the best he could,” he said.
City Councilman Donnie Kammer, who represents the area, used to get phone calls complaining about the condition of the cemetery.
“I’m just thankful that we have a business that’s willing to take this on,” he said. “It’s totally different. Night and day. It’s wonderful.”
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.