Josh Emerson earns Eagle Scout rank by cleaing headstons at Sullins

HAMILTON — Josh Emerson, the older brother of Caleb Emerson (who was featured last week), earned the rank of Eagle Scout last year.
According to Scout Troop 56 Scoutmaster John Sims, Josh was in the Boy Scouts starting in first grade and going through his senior year.
“He went all the way through the Cub Scout program and earned his Arrow of Light (the highest rank for cubs). Then he earned his Eagle Scout, the highest rank for Boy Scouts,” Sims said. “He served in various positions of leadership in the troop.”
Josh said that, like his brother, his father was his inspiration who inspired him to join the Boy Scouts and see it through.
“My dad was in Boy Scouts, and he pushed me and my brother to join and finish strong,” Josh said.
When it came time to do his Eagle Scout project to earn the rank, Josh said he happened to see an old cemetery in need of some upkeep.
“We were driving by on our way to Hackleburg one day, and we saw this cemetery, and I thought it would be a good idea to clean the headstones there,” Josh said. “So, we got in touch with the person who owned the property in the area, and he said it was alright.
“I got the rest of my troop to help me with it, and we had a meeting first on how we were going to do the project. I showed everyone how to do it first, then they followed along while we split up and started cleaning the other gravestones. We had to use certain cleaning supplies that wouldn’t damage the headstones or anything like that, and it took a lot of scrubbing.”
The cemetery in question is located by the Sullins Schoolhouse in Sugar Bend. Sims said in order for Josh to complete the project, it required a lot of work and special supplies and tools.
“His Eagle Scout project was cleaning old tombstones that had become unreadable due to algae, lichens and other things that grow on tombstones,” Sims said. “We did it at the Sullins Schoolhouse Cemetery off of County Highway 48 in Sugar Bend.
“We cleaned up the branches and tree limbs that were down and cleaned up trash, but most of the time was spent cleaning tombstones with a chemical to help break lose the grime and everything.
“We used hand brushes and also brushes on a battery-powered drill to help scrub and then wash them off. It took a pretty good amount of time, and we had a lot of boys involved, but it really turned out pretty nice.”
Josh said his time in Boy Scouts, and his efforts to organize and complete this project, gave him tools and skills that he feels will lead to success in life.
“I learned a lot!” he said. “I learned how to do first aid, how to tie knots, as well as learning a lot of other life lessons—all sorts of things that I might need in the future. I feel like leading this project really did set me up for success.”
The Journal-Record is running a series of feature stories about Boy Scouts from Troop 56 in Hamilton who earned the rank of Eagle Scout. If your troop has any scouts who earned their Eagle Scout badge who you would like to recognize, be sure to let us know!