Visitors to Magnolia Cemetery may have a smoother ride in the near future as work is set to begin on a project to address the cemetery’s crumbling roads.

The project comes after a group of concerned citizens formed the Magnolia Cemetery Beautification and Improvement Fund in November 2023 to raise money to fix some of the ongoing maintenance issues at the historic burial grounds.

In a news release Tuesday, the fund advisory board, along with Magnolia Cemetery owner Jay Crane and the Community Foundation of East Mississippi, announced enough funds have been raised to begin tackling the first phase of the project.

Tracey Jones, who serves as chairperson of the advisory board, said the first phase will include patching all of the cemetery roads and leveling about 25% of the roadways. The board, along with Crane, plan to award the project to Falcon Contracting with work set to begin in January 2025.

The $150,000 project will be paid for with $100,000 coming from the cemetery’s perpetual care fund and the remaining $50,000 from donations to the Magnolia Cemetery Beautification and Improvement Fund through the Community Foundation of East Mississippi.

Jones said the advisory board is also working to raise an additional $50,000 ahead of Falcon starting work in January. The extra money will allow for leveling of all the roads in the cemetery, she said, and reduce the overall cost of the beautification and improvement plan by reducing the work from three phases to just two.

“Completing patching and leveling throughout the cemetery would allow everyone to enjoy level roads with no holes,” she said in a news release.

Started by the Masons, Magnolia Cemetery was officially formed in 1898. It is the final resting place of more than 15,000 Meridianites, including well known figures such as G.V. Sonny Montgomery, Fred and Al Key, brothers who pioneered aerial refueling, governors, congressmen and more.

Anyone interested in contributing to the beautification and improvement effort can give through the Community Foundation of East Mississippi, PO Box, 3977, Meridian, MS 39303 or go online to magnoliameridian.com.

The organization is also selling memorial bricks engraved with the names of loved ones that will be installed around the flagpole in the center of the cemetery. More information about the bricks and how to order can be found at magnoliameridian.com.