HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Formerly known as Green Hill Memorial Gardens, the privately operated cemetery in Hopkinsville has come under new ownership within the last month, with a couple inheriting over a decade of issues. Chrissy Buckner and her husband Mark officially took over ownership at the beginning of April, renaming it Ancestral Haven Memorial Gardens.
“It was never on my bucket list,” Chrissy told Christian County Now about acquiring the property. She first met the previous owner when her son was working on an Eagle Scout project to raise over 100 sunken gravestones at Green Hill. They had a few more encounters over the years, with her other son also doing lawn maintenance at the cemetery.
The Buckner’s eventually got a phone call from the owner, who offered to gift them Green Hill Memorial Gardens at no cost. He told them health issues prevented him from keeping up with maintenance and if they did not accept, he would surrender the property to the state. They were initially hesitant before eventually accepting.
“I thought something was fishy, because you don’t just give away something like that,” said Chrissy, “I had heard the horror stories of Green Hill…if I had let it go to the state, then everyone who is owned markers or anything is not going to get squat.”
Issues overlapping with new ownership
The previous owner has since left the city after a brief transition period. Around three weeks into ownership, the Buckner’s have just started to scratch surface of an overwhelming process to restore the cemetery that Chrissy says was neglected not only not the grounds, but behind the scenes for the past 14 years…