WESTFIELD – Members of the city’s Historical Commission, who have been working to preserve one of the oldest original cemeteries in the country, are disheartened by the theft of decorative face plates from the gate of the Old Burying Grounds.
Commissioner Walter Fogg reported the theft of three cast iron pieces last Friday, but the actual date when the historic pieces were taken is not known. Fogg provided police with photographs of the damage done to the gates of the historic Old Burying Grounds by the thieves.
“This makes me sick,” Fogg said Monday. “It’s a shame because we’re trying to get it in shape so we can open access to people.”
Fogg said the faceplates were removed from the far right post of the gate which was hidden behind shrubbery. Fogg said the city’s Old Burying Grounds was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 2007.
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 headstones 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 schoolchildren.
Fogg said the suspect who stole the historic faceplates had to put real effort into that theft.
“They didn’t come off easily,” Fogg said. “The plates were held on with screws that were rusted, so they ripped some of the plates off the posts. I’m sure they were damaged.”
Commissioner Cindy Gaylord said she is “devastated” by the theft and fears that the commission may not be able to find a craftsman to duplicate the antique ornamental cast iron pieces.
“This is the original gate from 1834, so the pieces someone stole are invaluable,” Gaylord said. “They have no value as metal for recycling, just the historic value to the city. They’ve been on the post for more than 180 years. There is evidence they tried to get other decorative items as well.”
“It’s a senseless waste,” Gaylord said. “I hope we can find a craftsman who can replicate them. The detail is incredible.”
Gaylord spoke with Community Development Director Peter J. Miller Jr., and Mayor Daniel M. Knapik following the discovery of the theft.
“I asked them to get lights installed at the gate and to illuminate the US flag just behind the gate,” Gaylord said. So PJ (Miller) is looking into that, but it would be useful to have a source of electricity available for other events, such as the Ghost Tours.”
Gaylord said earlier this year that the oldest legible stone is dated 1683, just 63 years after the founding of the Plymouth Colony.
