Before and After: Old Burial Hill Restoration Project

The following letter was submitted by Town Planner and Old Burial Hill Oversight Committee member Rebecca Curran:

We are asking for your support.

You may have heard of the deterioration of one of the most famous landmarks in Marblehead, Old Burial Hill. Established in 1638 at the site of Marblehead’s first meeting house, it's the burial site of over 100 Revolutionary soldiers.

In 2009, the Board of Selectmen appointed an Oversight Committee to ensure its restoration. A detailed Old Burial Hill Preservation Master Plan was developed funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Historic Commission and town funds.

This comprehensive plan ensures the proper and systematic restoration and preservation of the memorials and markers. The first phase of the implementation of the plan concentrated on the Priority 1 Markers, those needing the most urgent care. 

This restoration project was bid in 2011 and Monument Conservation Collaborative of Norfolk, Connecticut was selected as Contractor. A second grant from The Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Fund was obtained along with a matching grant from the Harold B. And Elizabeth L. Shattuck Memorial Fund, as well as private donations, which funded this Priority 1 first phase.  Enclosed are pictures of some of the work accomplished.

We are now beginning Phase two. The goal is to repair all the stones requiring treatment, many stones requiring resetting, and the repair of the stairway, and railing and other landscape features.  To fund the final phase we must raise $60,000 in matching funds between now and February 2013. 

We ask you to consider supporting this final phase with a tax deductible donation. Your participation makes all the difference in the success of this project and sends a message that you believe in preserving one of Marblehead’s most extraordinary historic landmarks. 

Donations can be sent to the Selectmen’s Office at Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St., Marblehead, MA 01945. Checks can be made out to the Town of Marblehead with a notation that reads Old Burial Hill.

If you have any questions or would like additional information about the project please feel free to call Rebecca Curran town planner at 781 631 0000.

Sincerely,

Richard F. Coletti

Old Burial Hill Oversight Committee