Troop 821 Boy Scout Brian Mitchell and a small army of volunteers repaired historic headstones at The Old Burying Ground on Mechanic Street in 2012. (Photo submitted)
WESTFIELD – The Historical Commission is set to initiate restoration of headstones at the Old Burying Grounds off Mechanic Street, work that is slated to begin tomorrow.
Commissioner Cindy Gaylord said last night that the money raised last year at the inaugural ‘ghost tours,’ as well as donations of about $5,000, is sufficient to preserve a damaged stone which is in dire need of restoration and which could harm people near the stone.
Gaylord said that a conservator has been hired to make the repairs to the Matthers Stone because an Eagle Scout candidate will be working with other scouts straightening stones on Sept. 20. Scouts, scout leaders and parents will attend a training session on Sept. 17 to learn the proper method of straightening headstones.
The real restoration effort will begin later this year when the Community Preservation Act funding approved last week by the Community Preservation Committee goes through the City Council appropriation process.
The CPC approved a Historical Commission request for $30,000 to begin the Old Burying Grounds restoration project because of the historical significance to the city
Gaylord, who ironically was attending her first CPC meeting as the History Commission representative, and who recused herself to give the presentation, said the oldest legible stone is dated 1683, just 63 years after the founding of the Plymouth Colony.
Gaylord said the historical significance of the Old Burying Grounds is that the cemetery is the final resting place of soldiers who served in the French and Indian War, as well as the Revolutionary and Civil wars.
It holds the remains of colonial pastors, poets and senators, farmers and, in general, the founders of Westfield. Many of the headstones bear family names that are recognized by residents today as the names of streets surrounding the downtown area.
The Old Burying Ground records indicate that it holds 1,600 graves, but that only 1,100 remain because of weathering, erosion, vandalism and breakage. The Historical Commission’s goal is to “repair, restore and preserve as many (head)stones as possible before they are lost forever.”
The commission also seeks to open the historical site to the public as an education destination, related to the city’s history, for school children. The Old Burying Ground is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites.
The commission, with the help of stonework professionals, has identified the stones with immediate need for both preservation and restoration.
“Right now the focus is on making it safe for members of the public,” Gaylord said.
Commissioner Walter Fogg said that Department of Public Works crews began trimming trees last week that pose a risk to the safety of people in the cemetery and to the historic headstones.
Chairwoman Kitt Milligan said the tree trimming “is a very big piece in preserving these stones, there has been tree damage recently.”
Gaylord said that she plans to discuss the process of hiring conservators through the MGL, Chapter 30-B procurement process to determine the options available to the commission to hire professional restoration companies.
