Activities of the Foundation
MONUMENT RESTORATION
For many of the historic gravesites at Glenwood, there are no living descendants to take responsibility for maintenance and repair. Over time, Houston’s soil causes monuments, statuary and copings to sink, and those displaced by tree roots must be repaired and stabilized. In order to preserve the beauty and historic integrity of Glenwood, the Foundation provides funds for the restoration of these beautiful reminders of our history.
Tree & Landscape Maintenance
Glenwood’s tree maintenance programs are of utmost importance in maintaining Glenwood as a place of natural beauty and quiet refuge for the benefit of all Houstonians and visitors. Your contributions to tree programs are used to provide regular feeding, pruning and lightning protection. This not only ensures the health of the trees, but also protects irreplaceable monuments and statuary from damage caused by falling limbs and trees. Individuals, families and organizations may participate in one of the following programs.
General Tree Maintenance Fund - A donation in any amount will help ensure regular care of Glenwood’s beautiful trees.
Erosion Control
An extensive project to halt serious erosion along a gully in the northern portion of the cemetery was completed. The erosion has claimed valuable land and historic gravesites are threatened. The first phase of the project is nearing completion, and it has succeeded in halting the erosion in the northeast corner of the cemetery. Funds are currently being raised to continue the project along the gully to the western boundary of the property, then south toward Buffalo Bayou, and along part of the Memorial Drive frontage.
Activities of the Foundation
MASTER PLAN
In 2005, the Foundation commissioned SWA Group to prepare a Master Plan to guide Glenwood’s future. The Master Plan will optimize development of remaining land resources while preserving the historic character of the cemetery and enhancing its historic landscape.
Board of Trustees
THE FOUNDATION IS GUIDED BY A VOLUNTEER BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Ellanor Allday Beard
William P. Conner
Thad Grundy, Jr.
Ben A. Guill
Ransom C. Lummis
William N. Mathis
Edward K. Neuhaus
Joan Neuhaus
Beth Robertson
Anne Peden Tucker
Francita Stuart Ulmer
W. Temple Webber, III
Nina P. Wickman
Joanne Seale Wilson
Lora Jean Kilroy Wilson
Wallace S. Wilson
Publication Of Glenwood’s History
To appropriately preserve Glenwood’s history, a book, Houston's Silent Garden, has been published by Texas A&M University Press that tells the story of Glenwood from its formation in 1871 to the present. Glenwood was established as a private cemetery during the difficult years of Reconstruction following the Civil War. A critical need for additional burial space in Houston had been identified as early as 1860. Glenwood responded to that need and, in addition, to the growing desire of city dwellers to have more contact with landscapes of natural beauty. Like other romantic cemetery parks of the 19th century, Glenwood provided such a setting.
