Restoration efforts continued at Old Burial Hill Cemetery last week as workers finished resetting historic gravestones following extensive repair work.
URL: https://marbleheadcurrent.org/2024/09/18/marblehead-chronicles-the-marblehead-academy-1788-1865/
TIMING: Wednesday before 8
Michael Gallagher, owner of Village Green Restoration, and his team wrapped up a project that included repairing and resetting approximately 10 grave markers at the Colonial-era burial ground.
“We cast extensions to some of them,” Gallagher said, indicating a headstone where a missing piece had been recreated. “When the monument is missing a large fragment, we cast it onto the headstone.”
The work, part of an ongoing preservation effort, was funded by a $10,000 appropriation from public and private donations. It follows a survey that identified numerous markers in need of repair.
Jennifer Rydwansky, a member of the restoration team, highlighted their meticulous approach. “We repaired one stone that was in two pieces,” she said. “We glued it together and did patchwork, being careful not to add details we couldn’t verify.”
The cemetery, established in the late 17th century, holds significant historical value. It’s featured in popular culture, including the film “Hocus Pocus,” which has driven interest in the site.
“It’s a really great site,” Gallagher noted. “Most cemeteries we work in, you get like one person a week. Here, lots of people come through.”
The recent work represents only a fraction of the needed restoration. A 2022 assessment identified 17 headstones, five footstones, and 166 grave markers requiring repair, with total costs estimated at $75,000.
