Commission Details A Cemetery In Need

Representatives from the town's offered the Board of Selectmen a slide presentation Wednesday night detailing their ongoing effort to repair and relocate damaged headstones currently occupying the more than 350-year-old cemetery. 

As Town Planner Becky Curran presented a brief overview of a 350-page report recently compiled with the support of Building and Conservation Management of Arlington, she painted a picture of a historic cemetery in dire need of repairs.

Through the use of $18,000 in grant funding, Curran said committee members were able to hire the Arlington-based company to go through the cemetery stone-by-stone, photographing grave markers that date back to the late 1600s and creating a much-needed map of the 991 objects that populate the

What the company found, Curran said, was that approximately 20 percent of the cemetery's headstones are in need of repair or some form of preventative maintenance. In order to identify the markers that need the most attention, the graves were broken into sub-groups: 31 are in need of urgent care, 42 were designated as less urgent and 119 need to be maintained to prevent problems in the future. 

As she described how 22 of the cemetery's original headstones had gone missing since a graveyard study performed in 1998, Curran drew gasps from both board members and the handful of committee members in attendance. In the 57 years that had passed since an earlier study performed in 1941, only 50 had been reported missing.

"Tree trunks from nearby vegetation and water infiltration has left many of the stones in need of repair," Curran said, adding, "Our overall goal is to prevent damage before it occurs."

Through recent fundraising efforts, Curran said the committee has raised approximately $3,000 to help pay for the extensive restoration project, which will require the removal of nearby trees and shrubs and the repair of an old stone walkway leading visitors into the cemetery from the street.

In addition to damage done to the stones that remain, Curran said many of the cemetery's headstones have been either stolen or misplaced and have popped up in locations across the commonwealth. One of which was recently recovered after being discovered in Cambridge, she said.

The total cost of the project, Curran said, is expected to be a little more than $22,000 and board members seemed eager to offer sources for funding.

"I think it would be a good idea to check with local funeral homes to see if they would be interested in helping pay some of the cost," board member William Woodfin said, adding that he thought the town engineer could likely help with putting together a map of the cemetery using a  global positioning system.

In the coming weeks, Curran said committee members will offer similar presentations to the town's Cemetery Commission and Parks and Recreation Department.

Prior to the meeting, Old Burial Hill Cemetery Oversight Committee Chair Ezekiel Peach said the biggest roadblock is finding funding for the project and putting it to good use.

"It's really a matter of getting the manpower behind this," Peach said. "If these headstones continue to disappear, there's going to be nothing left."

Residents interested in contributing to the cause are encouarged to contact the committee members or representatives of the town's Historical Commission.