With the Fourth of July around the corner, U.S. flags will be proudly flown at locations across the country, and certainly here in Pottstown. Unfortunately, Edgewood Cemetery, located in the 900 block of High Street between Edgewood and Keim Streets, cannot fly a flag because the large flagpole located near the cemetery’s entrance deteriorated to the point that it toppled over.

However, thanks to the efforts of Boyertown resident Ralph Ritter, his employer, PECO, will donate two 30-foot flagpoles for installation in the entrance garden and elsewhere in the cemetery. The poles currently are located at a PECO site Peach Bottom, N.J. Ritter contacted Edgewood Cemetery Board President Andrew Monastra about donating the poles after seeing a related Facebook post.

The Cemetery’s small all-volunteer board, Edgewood Historic Cemetery, Inc., which serves as a “Friends of the Cemetery” organization, is seeking donations that will help it arrange to have the poles transported from New Jersey and safely installed — and to ensure that basic grounds maintenance at the cemetery will continue throughout this mowing season and beyond.

They also are looking for a patriotic citizen to either donate the large, standard flagpole-sized U.S. and Pennsylvania State flags that will be required or funds to make these purchases.

The Board also is asking area residents who have family members buried in the cemetery to share their contact information, so that the Board can keep them informed about progress and developments with Edgewood’s maintenance. Edgewood Cemetery Board President Andrew Monastra of Pottstown can be reached at amonastra@wolfbaldwin.com.

Monastra notes the low bid for mowing the 12-acre site came in at $800 per week, resulting in an estimated cost of $25,000 per season, especially if the summer of 2019 continues to bring considerable rainfall as did the 2018 season. He points out that mowing Edgewood, dating to the mid-1800s, is no simple or, therefore, inexpensive task due to neglect for many years, sinkholes, and ground damage caused by an active groundhog population.

In October 2018, a community-wide clean-up day and fundraising effort organized with help of the Hobart’s Run neighborhood initiative of The Hill School brought together more than 100 community volunteers and raised $3,800 in donations, in addition to $2,500 contributed by Harlan “Bud” Wendell, a resident of Menlo Park, Calif., and a Hill class of 1942 graduate with family ties to John Potts, founder of Pottstown. The Hill School and Hobart’s Run also contributed $5,000 toward mowing during the summer of 2018. A few donations trickled in over the past year, and a small-scale clean-up was promoted to volunteers this past spring.

Needless to say, while the generosity of Wendell’s and other donors’ contributions and volunteer efforts are immensely appreciated, “with a $25,000-per-season mowing bill, our need for financial support is immediate, serious, and ongoing,” Monastra said.

“We need to keep up with the grass,” he said, “and show our respect to those who are buried there and their families. We want to be sure Edgewood’s condition does not again become a distraction to economic and community development efforts in the Borough. We want the flagpoles so generously given to be installed so that we can honor the many veterans at rest in Edgewood. We’d also really like to create areas for contemplation and remembrance – with benches and flowers – for those who visit loved ones here as well as other community members who want to walk on these public grounds.

“We greatly appreciate those who have helped in some way, and going forward we would like to recognize substantial donors by installing benches bearing their names, or a plaque thanking them for supporting the cemetery,” Monastra suggested. “The bottom line is we need to first keep the grass mowed. I hope people will call with fundraising suggestions and support.”

Tax-deductible donations can be made to Edgewood Historic Cemetery, Inc. and sent to 740 E. High St., Pottstown, PA. Individuals interested in volunteering, or learning more about the cemetery’s efforts, or providing family information can contact Andrew Monastra at amonastra@wolfbaldwin.com or 484-459-5412.

A fall 2019 clean-up is planned for Saturday, Oct. 5, so volunteers can mark their calendars.