City of Strawn

P.O. BOX 581 – 118 East Housley St.

STRAWN, TEXAS 76475

254-672-5311 – FAX 254-672-5250

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Dear Residents, Neighbors & Friends,

We are contacting you today concerning the condition of Mount Marion Cemetery.

Mount Marion Cemetery is a city owned property that, for the past 60-70 years, Strawn has been blessed with a volunteer organization that manages and maintains this sizable piece of land, the upkeep of which, is very difficult.

The Mount Marion Cemetery Association has made numerous improvements to the property over the last decade including new fencing, a new entrance, signage, trees, the cultivation of the now famous bluebonnets, as well as repairing hundreds of old, deteriorating headstones. They have been able to do this by effectively soliciting donations year after year.   This has saved the City of Strawn hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless man hours as the City does not spend any money for the upkeep of the cemetery grounds.

Unfortunately, as these improvements were made and the cemetery became a nicer property, more individuals were compelled to visit and leave many trinkets, mementos, solar lights and misplaced plastic flowers, directly on the graves. While these actions were meant as thoughtful and sentimental, they are in clear violation of city ordinances, create unnecessary work for the mowing crews and leave the cemetery grounds desecrated with blown trash, broken plastic, shattered glass & trinkets.

This cemetery is a very difficult property to maintain but with literally thousands of obstacles in the way, it has become IMPOSSIBLE to mow and we are at risk of facing higher prices and losing contractors.

Therefore, beginning June 1^st, 2023, the City of Strawn & Mount Marion Cemetery Association respectfully request that all items that are placed on graves or around headstones be voluntarily removed without delay. The city will allow for 30 days, until July 1, 2023, for these items to be removed.   After that date, all items will be removed and disposed. Moving forward, only flowers will be allowed in ONLY granite or concrete vases/urns that are placed directly and permanently on the main grave monument itself.   These can be purchased from any area monument companies such as Sterling Monuments, Brady Monuments, Butler Memorials, Moore Monuments or Rawlins Monuments.

In every Warranty Deed that was issued upon the purchase of cemetery plots, the purchaser agrees to the following “purchaser, assigns or successor, agrees to be bound by the rules and regulations adopted by the City of Strawn, or its successors“.

Everyone is required to respect these laws, ordinances and rules. No exceptions will be allowed.

We have provided a copy of the City of Strawn Ordinances (Ordinance No. 06-95, Section L, Paragraphs 1 & 2) in this letter.   We have also provided you with a copy of the Cemetery Rules that have been posted at the cemetery for the last decade.

Please share this information with your family, friends or anyone else that has family interred at Mount Marion.

Respectfully,

Danny Miller-City Administrator

City of Strawn

Ordinance No. 06-95, Section L, Paragraphs 1 & 2

1. Decorations of Plots

• Certain Ornaments Prohibited

The placing of boxes, cans, shells, toys, metal designs, ornaments, signs, cards, ads, chairs, settees, vases, glass, wood or iron cases, concrete urns, concrete benches, pictures, artificial flowers and similar articles or any articles other than the approved family memorial upon plots shall not be permitted and it so placed, the Cemetery Association reserves the right to remove same without notice to the plot owner.

• Floral Regulations

No flower receptacles may be placed on any plot, unless of metal or stone of approved size and design and in the case of burial plots, set wholly beneath the level of the lawn. The Cemetery Association shall have authority to remove all floral designs, flowers, weeds, trees, shrubs, plants, or herbage or any kind, from the Cemetery as soon as, in the judgement of the caretaker they become unsightly, dangerous, detrimental, or diseased, or when they do not conform to the standards maintained. The Cemetery Association shall not be liable for floral pieces, baskets, or frames in which or to which such floral pieces are attached, beyond the acceptance of such floral pieces for funeral services held in the Cemetery. The Cemetery Association or City of Strawn shall not n liable for lost, misplaced or broken flower vases. The Cemetery association or City of Strawn shall not be responsible for plants, herbage of any kind, or plantings damaged by the elements, thieves, vandals, or by other causes beyond its control. The Cemetery Association reserves the right to prevent the plants, or herbage of any kind.

MOUNT MARION CEMETERY RULES

(Posted throughout Cemetery since 2012)

The following rules are in place to assist in the upkeep of the grounds of the cemetery:

• Nothing may be placed on or near a grave that obstructs mowing or weed eating.
• No curbs or gravel.
• No ornaments, statues, pets, vases, fencing, edging, candles, battery or solar light sticks or devices on the ground
• No mounded graves or grave covers
• No glass containers
• No cactus may be planted
• Foot stones must be at ground level
• Grave markers must be made of metal, concrete or natural stones
• Fresh flowers left on grave must be removed after two weeks
• Flowers blow from graves will be disposed
• Please dispose of all trash or flowers in bins provided

         The upkeep of Mount Marion depends on the generosity of those who have loved ones interred here.