RUMFORD – Hundreds of hours and dozens of sore muscles and blisters later, the once overgrown Upper West Ellis Cemetery in Rumford Point is cleared of brush, cleaned up, and identified by a new sign.

Members of the Rumford Grange decided to restore the old cemetery as a community service project. The more they got into the cemetery, the more stones they found, said community service Chairwoman Vicki Clark.

“We wanted to do something different,” said the longtime granger.

The project, spearheaded by Joe Martin, a recent member of the grange and owner of land surrounding three sides of the small cemetery, is the largest such project the grange has done in recent years.

The last time someone was buried in the old cemetery, perched on a hill along Route 5 just a mile from the Andover town line, was 1901. Since the cemetery is so old, some of its slate and marble stones needed repair. Lichen and algae was so thick that names and epitaphs could not be read, Martin said. Now, most can.

The stone wall that surrounds much of the perimeter had fallen into disrepair, and brush and trees covered many of the graves.

Now, all 57 stones, plus some without names inscribed on them, can be seen. A cedar rail fence, donated by Puiia’s Hardware, encloses the front of the cemetery and a neatly rebuilt stonewall surrounds the rest of it. Some of the stones were power washed with the help of Murray’s Trading Post in Newry, and George Cataldo, a non-granger living near the cemetery, helped with the work. Bernard Construction donated time to level the front of the cemetery before the cedar post fence was erected.

The grangers found some interesting history in the cemetery, including the grave of a Civil War soldier, and the grave of the widow of a colonel. They aren’t sure whether she was the widow of a Revolutionary War or War of 1812 officer. Martin said Len Greaney, who has done research on veterans buried in Oxford County cemeteries, is checking into more information.

The Grange, Clark said, is a service organization that conducts community projects each year. About seven grangers took part in the recent four-week project.

Martin said a topographical map listed the cemetery as the Upper West Ellis Cemetery, although it has also been known as the Howe Cemetery because of the number of people buried there with that surname. No sign was erected at the cemetery until the grangers completed the project.

Martin said the group worked with Rumford’s Parks Commission and got all the proper permits. The town maintains all cemeteries but is not able to do restoration.

“We are all pleased with the way it came out,” Martin said. “It should be real easy to keep up.”