Cleanup continues at Maple Hill Cemetery following storm damage

Published on May 16, 2024

City officials expect crews to complete removal of large tree limb debris at Maple Hill Cemetery by early next week as cleanup continues from the May 8 storm. Large stumps from fallen trees will take longer to remove.

The National Weather Service forecast office in Huntsville said an EF-2 tornado hit the cemetery as part of a nearly 10-mile damage path that began in the Old Town community near downtown and continued over Monte Sano into the McMullen Cove area.

Cemetery Department Director Tara Sloan said crews will be removing still-standing trees severely damaged by the storm over the next three to four weeks.

Assessments of damage to cemetery markers continue as cemetery officials inspect each block. Weather permitting, plans call for that process to be completed by next week. Families are being notified when damage to a loved one’s marker is discovered.

The Huntsville Pilgrimage Association (HPA) and Skip Stinson, the cemetery’s restoration specialist, have joined the effort to inspect markers in Blocks 1-15, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As money is available, the HPA will fund repairs in those areas along with damaged portions of the cemetery’s stone wall.