NEWPORT-The dedicated work of over two dozen volunteers brought much-needed improvements to one of Newport's most historic cemeteries.

Known as Jaybird Cemetery, the burial ground is located off Cooper Street in the Rock City section of town and is the final resting place of approximately 200 or more African-American citizens.

Once it was one of the most well-kept cemeteries in the area, lovingly tended by family members and neighbors who cleared away growth, mowed, and planted flowers to beautify the graves of their loved ones.

However, as the cemetery's space for new burials dwindled and those whose work kept it in pristine condition grew older and then died, the graveyard slowly became so overgrown that many passersby didn't know that it was there.

Members of Cocke County's RID committee joined teenage volunteers on Tuesday. Also there were Shedenna Dockery and other members of the Tanner Community Action Initiative.

Dockery was smiling from ear to ear as she watched Gary Parks' Bush Hog eat away at saplings and weeds. "Last year a volunteer group from the University of Minnesota worked on this project," she said, "but a cemetery has to be cared for on a regular basis. You can't just do this one time and expect it to stay in good shape on its own."

Dockery's delight in the project was echoed by others.

"Cocke County hasn't taken good care of many of its cemeteries," said Duay O'Neil, who has led a decade-long project to document as many of Cocke County's cemeteries as possible.

"During our work, we found over 800 cemeteries, ranging from one grave to thousands. I would guess half of them have been abandoned as families moved away or died out. In so many cases, the graves are now overgrown. In some cases, all signs of the burials have disappeared," he said.

Among those buried in Jaybird Cemetery is Harold Carr, one of Cocke County's Korean War casualties.

"He was only 15 years old when he enlisted," said O'Neil, "and died when he was 16. In my opinion, he deserves a monument as big as the sky."

Another notable citizen buried there is Dr. Ben Byrum.

"He was an old-time herb doctor," said O'Neil, "who was born into slavery in 1828. According to his death certificate, he died November 9, 1915."

No marker for Byrum has been found, but proof of his burial here was found on his death certificate.

"Several of the earliest burials were of people like Dr. Byrum, who were born into slavery," O'Neil explained. "These include Tipsy Anderson, born in 1855. She was a daughter of Mana McSween. John Dixon was born in 1837 and lived until October 25, 1921.

"Eliza Gilchrist was born in 1833 and died in 1928. According to her death certificate, she was of the Jack family who owned a large plantation stretching from the vicinity of Food City West to Stokely's Chapel Baptist Church.

"Sarah Kindrick (Kendrick) was born in 1864, a year before the Civil War ended," O'Neil. "No doubt she was from the Kendrick family at Old Town."

"I would like to know more about Amanda Lincoln," he continued. "According to her death certificate, she was born in 1849. I can't help but wonder if her family didn't take the surname of President Abraham Lincoln as their own."

Others born as slaves, who are buried here, include Dina McNabb (1827-1916), Gloss Mills (1838-1920), John W. and Dora E. Reinhardt (1859-1934), Topsy M. Rice (1854-1921), Stephen Smith (1848-1917), James Stuart (1859-1924), Harriett Wilson (1853-1958), Martha Wilson (1830-1914), and William M. Woods (1857-1924).

"Wouldn't you have loved to have sat down with Harriett Wilson and heard her stories? She lived to be 103 years old. What she must have witnessed during that time!" O'Neil mused.