KILGORE - The Kilgore City Commission voted Tuesday afternoon to provide for Kilgore residents' future needs by purchasing a 23 acre cemetery.

The commissioners unanimously decided to buy the Danville Cemetery, which has 5,660 available plots, for $300,000 from Mitchel Cemetery Inc. Also, the proceeds from the sale of almost 20 acres of land adjacent to Kilgore Memorial Gardens Cemetery will go to Mitchell Cemetery.

"I think it's a great acquisition for this city," said Kilgore Mayor Bill Wilson.

Wilson said the city already owns two cemeteries, one of which has no available plots. The purchase of Danville Cemetery will ensure cemetery space for Kilgore residents for years to come.

The purchase comes with one stipulation, however, from the Danville Cemetery Association, which had previously signed an agreement with Mitchell Cemetery regarding the Old Danville Cemetery. The Old Danville Cemetery is on 8 acres inside the 23 acres bought by the city.

"The descendants of the ones already buried there are the only ones that can be buried there," said Talmadge Mercer, president of the Danville Cemetery Association, who said the cemetery dates back to the early 1800's.

The money to purchase the cemetery will come from the city's perpetual care fund, which is restricted for use on the cemeteries, according to Wilson.