The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) came to Marengo County in March to launch a new survey of historical cemeteries. They choose the cemetery in Dayton first because of the "amazing Victorian monuments," said Lee Anne Hewett, survey coordinator.

The commission’s mission is to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic places. That preservation often focuses on buildings and archaeological sites, but since the mid-1990’s the AHC has been developing a systematic, standardized approach to documenting the state cemeteries.