An organization that's charged with retaining Woodstock's history is revamping itself and expanding.

Preservation Woodstock, a nonprofit organization focused on retaining the city's history and heritage through various projects, has been restructured.

The group is now led by a five-member board of directors and two directors-at-large, said President Elaine Hubbard of Woodstock.

Along with Ms. Hubbard, board members include Jim Drinkard, past president; Millicent Fox, vice chairwoman; Lucy Blackwell, treasurer; and Janice Kane, secretary.

Preservation Woodstock originally formed in 1996 as the Woodstock Centennial Committee to celebrate the city's 100th birthday in 1997. In 2007, it changed its name to Preservation Woodstock.

Ms. Hubbard said the organization wants to expand its membership, for which the annual fee is $10.

"I hope we can add some more members and make progress on projects," she said.

One of the organization's current projects is the creation of brochures for self-guided walking tours throughout downtown.

About 25 places within walking distance of each other have been identified for the tour. They include the Dean, Howell, Bozeman and Johnston Homes; various downtown churches, Dean's Store, the original site of the post office and the former Chandler building.

The brochures, once completed, will be available at the Woodstock Visitors Center at Dean's Store on Main Street downtown.

Preservation Woodstock is also recording and transcribing oral histories from longtime residents and others with special memories about the city.

A copy of the interviews will be stored at Dean's Store and also shared with the Cherokee County Historical Society for archiving.

The group is continuing with its main projects of placing plaques and markers on Woodstock homes and businesses that are of historic significance and selling commemorative bricks for Woodstock City Park.

The bricks surround the park's fountain. They are $20 each and can be ordered at Dean's Store.

"People (can) purchase the bricks to be engraved with whatever they wish," Preservation Woodstock member Juanita Hughes said.

The brick commemoration initially began as a fundraiser when the park was under construction, Mrs. Hughes said.

Recently, Preservation Woodstock completed a revitalization project at Enon Cemetery.

The history cemetery sits at the former location of Enon Church, which later was renamed First Baptist Woodstock. The site is near the junction of Little River and Rubes Creek, which is one mile north of the city.

The organization created a locator system of plots in the cemetery. A small kiosk holds an alphabetical listing of all burial sites and where the sites are located.

For Drinkard, promoting the organization and developing its projects has been a very personal effort.

Drinkard, who lives in Vinings, is a Woodstock native. He is the son of Elizabeth Dean Drinkard, the great-granddaughter of the Dean family, one of Woodstock's founding families.

Drinkard said he hopes more people realize the importance of organizations like Preservation Woodstock that keep the history of their hometowns alive.

"Some of us have a sense of pride in preserving the memories and historic nature of our cities," he said. "You want those memories to last for generations."