GIRARDVILLE, Pa. -- The old Saint Joseph's cemetery is a historical site. It is built into a steep wooded hillside in Girardville.
Dating back to the 1870's, the last burial here was in the 1950's.
Veterans of the Civil and Spanish American wars are buried on the land as are veterans of World War I and World War II.
In all, there are more than 3,000 graves.
"I think if we went up there and took pictures and showed people the names of their grandparents on a tombstone covered with weeds, it might spark an interest,” said James Kilker, an attorney and Girardville resident with relatives in the old cemetery.
For years now, the cemetery has been in disrepair, overgrown with toppled and damaged tombstones.
Saint Joseph's Church closed, merging with other parishes in 2015 to form Saint Charles Borromeo Church in Ashland.
Now, church leaders and others are brainstorming ways to save the cemetery.
They talked about getting grants, surveying the land, maybe forming a committee.
"They actually gave us ideas of how to make a plan, how to do it the correct way, little by little opening up paths so I applaud the church and the community for doing this and having this meeting,” said Paul Kowalick of Girardville.
"I think if the cemetery were made viable by people who could go in there and find their relatives, to come in and do that would be an asset to the borough,” said Robert Krick of the Girardville Historical Society.