Historic cemeteries are found in every community, and many are in urgent need of documentation and preservation as residential and business development projects progress through urban, suburban, and rural farming communities in the Hudson Valley. These workshops are a hands-on opportunity for citizens, local historians, educators, librarians, genealogists, community groups, and historical societies to learn professional and practical steps for stewardship, identification, documentary, and the cleaning and preservation strategies that are necessary to preserve a vanishing heritage.
Workshop locations:
Oakwood Cemetery, Troy (Rensselaer County) - May 2023
Bedford Historical Society, Old Burial Ground, Bedford (Westchester County) - June 2023
Historic Huguenot Street, Huguenot Cemetery/Crispell Memorial French Church Burying Ground, New Paltz (Ulster County) - Sept. 2023
Presenters:
Joe Ferrannini
Founder, Grave Stone Matters
Priscilla Brendler
Executive Director, GHHN
Kerry Sclafani
Program Director/Archivist, GHHN
Workshop Agenda:
Morning: GHHN Executive Director, Priscilla Brendler and Program Director and Archivist, Kerry Sclafani will provide an overview of historic cemetery stewardship; evolution of cemetery design; and headstone typology and symbolism. The individual workshops will include guest speakers from regional cemeteries to share information on how they provide stewardship, public engagement, and preservation of their unique collection. Additionally, the speakers will share information on how they have been able to present educational and fun programs to the public that share the history of their community in a way that entertains visitors and promotes tourism in a sensitive way yet retains the importance of preserving a piece of history. Joe Ferrannini, gravestone conservator, will give a case study showing the transformation of a small overgrown abandoned cemetery to a respectful final resting place for some of the town’s earliest settlers.
Afternoon: Joe Ferrannini will lead a conservation “walk-through” of the burying ground, guiding us in practical methods we can take, as well as those we should avoid, in planning for historic cemetery preservation. Ferrannini will lead hands-on demonstrations of basic preservation practices featuring non-invasive gravestone cleaning techniques. Then participants will roll up their sleeves and under professional supervision, will spend the afternoon practicing non-invasive gravestone cleaning techniques.
$45 for GHHN Members
$55 for Non-members
The Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area program was established by Congress in 1996 and is funded through the National Park Service and Department of the Interior. The mission of the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area is to recognize, preserve, protect and interpret the nationally significant historic, cultural and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley for the benefit of the Nation. The Hudson River Valley Greenway is the management entity for the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. For more information, visit www.hudsonrivervalley.com.