SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — Just off of Shady Lane Road, tucked away on a hill in South Abington Township, is a cemetery that can be quick to miss. Volunteers helped shape it after decades of neglect.
"Three years ago, I came to the cemetery to find family here and discovered its deplorable condition," said Louise McDonnell.
Established in 1922, McDonnell says over the decades, Shady Lane Cemetery fell into disrepair after being passed from owner to owner before being abandoned.
It was likely to stay that way until McDonnell and other community members around Lackawanna County decided to take action.
"Friends of Shady Lane Cemetery was established, and we've had many, many wonderful volunteers who care about the cemetery and have come to maintain it."
Over the last three years, Friends of Shady Lane Cemetery volunteers transformed the grounds from acres of weeds and fallen trees to green space.
A new memorial for hundreds of children was even added, and it was laid to rest on the hillside along the roadway.
The monument depicts a baby curled up in the palm of a hand. It's one of the many changes Friends of the Shady Lane Cemetery volunteers have been able to make at the cemetery.
"And it was discovered that there were a lot of babies buried in the section called the Clover Section," said McDonnell. "Probably about 300, and probably only about 30 had a monument."
The nonprofit has one more cleanup weekend at the cemetery near Clarks Summit to mark the end of another successful year of restorations.