"Stone Strategies" in Morrisville

The Madison County Bicentennial Architecture and Preservation Team has arranged a workshop on the Documentation, Stewardship and Conservation of Historic Cemeteries. “Stone Strategies” will be presented by the Lower Hudson Conference of Historic Agencies and Museums on Friday, August 19 from 9:30 to 4:30 at the Town of Eaton Office Building and at the Morrisville Rural Cemetery on Cedar Street in Morrisville.

Historic cemeteries are found in every community, and many are in emergency need of documentation and preservation as residential and business development projects progress through urban, suburban and rural farming communities of Central New York. This hands-on workshop is an opportunity for citizens, local historians, educators, librarians, genealogists, community groups and historical societies to learn professional and practical steps necessary to preserve a vanishing heritage. Those responsible for care and access to cemetery property, and the information incised on historic gravestones, will find archivists and conservators on hand in a workshop setting to highlight state and local legal issues, and demonstrate identification, documentation, cleaning and preservation strategies.

From 9:30 – 11 AM Regional Archivists Dianne Macpherson and Erica Bluefield will present the session “Stewardship and Documentation” which will include information on identifying laws and existing historical records signifying ownership and stewardship of historic cemeteries, locating permission and gaining access to cemetery properties and records, documenting results in creating historical records, and planning/ producing aids and place documentation in accessible formats and repositories. Macpherson and Bluefield will include a case study on using community volunteers to assist in the rehabilitation of a “needy” cemetery.
At 11 AM Conservator C.R. Jones of the New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown will present “Introduction to Conservation and Preservation.” Jones will address the identification of gravestone materials and styles, and will demonstrate cleaning techniques. A slide-survey will illustrate cemetery markers and their physical problems.

After an “on-your-own” lunch break, Jones will lead a conservation “walk-through” of the Morrisville Rural Cemetery, which is adjacent to the Town Office building, guiding the participants in practical methods that can be used, as well as what practices to avoid, for cemetery preservation. Hands-on demonstrations of basic preservation practices will be done on site.

The workshop is limited to 30 participants. Payment for the $40 registration fee should be made out to Madison County Tourism, Brooks Hall, Morrisville NY 13408. Directions will be sent upon registration. For further information and questions contact Sue Greenhagen at greenhsh@morrisville.edu or 315-684-6055 (days).