Local Man Giving Centuries-Old Tombstones a Voice

Standley Goodwin has very quiet neighbors, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fascinating to the 76-year-old Marblehead native.

Goodwin lives near Old Burial Hill, the cemetery established in 1638 that is now the resting place of more than 600 Revolutionary War soldiers and many others.

The Marblehead High School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate has photographed about 700 tombstones at Old Burial Hill, according to a Salem News article.

On Thursday, March 19, Goodwin will present a portion of those photographs during his lecture, “The Art of the Tombstone on Old Burial Hill” at the Marblehead Museum.

“Goodwin’s training as a scientist is evident in his meticulous attention to detail, and careful, logical research,” reads the event announcement. “His appreciation of the tombstones, respect for their makers and sensitivity to these family markers is apparent in his photographs.”

Goodwin uses a $120 point-and-shoot camera to capture his images of the stones, the Salem News article states, And it took multiple attempts to capture the stone in just the right light at just the right angle to display the intricate carvings.

“The workmanship on the stones is absolutely amazing,” he said in the article.

According to OldBurialHill.org, the carvings on the stones are examples of religious and artistic expressions of the Puritan era and the epitaphs pay homage to ”settlers, sea captains, fishermen, wives and children.”

Goodwin’s lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m., March 19 at the Marblehead Museum. Admission is $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers. A light reception will follow and reservations are recommended. Call 781-631-1768 for more information or to reserve a spot.