Friends of Southwick Old Cemetery

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Friends of Southwick Old Cemetery

Individuals interested in the restoration "conservation" and preservation of the Southwick, Massachu

09/07/2024

Gravestone preservation efforts on Thursday, September 5, 2024, and Friday, September 6, 2024.

On Thursday, September 5, 2024, the team of Evan Gilpatrick, Gerry Champiney, and Gene Theroux reset three leaning gravestones and rejoined two fragments of Revolutionary War Patriot Levi Palmer.

On Friday, September 6, 2024, we had a team of three volunteers consisting of Anthony Cruz, Angelica Mendez, and Curtis Hebert from the 104th Fighter Wing assist 104th Fighter Wing alumni Gene Theroux and Darcie Rock in resetting four leaning gravestones (tablets with a base). Over the last two hundred years or better, the monuments had sunken into the ground from four to six inches. The volunteers from the 104FW were accompanied by a representative (Jay Hebert) from the Public Affairs office who documented the work being accomplished and helped as well. Under Tony Cruz's leadership, the volunteers worked independently and reset the first two gravestones.

In addition to assisting in the resetting of leaning gravestones, the team from Barnes was taught how to properly clean a gravestone with D/2 Biological Solution. Three leaning gravestones that were heavily stained from Pine pitch and air pollution were chosen. Prior to cleaning, the inscriptions on these three were difficult or unable to read.

Congratulations and a hearty thanks to the citizen airmen of the 104th Fighter Wing for their contributions. We're fortunate to have such modern-day Patriots in our community.

08/31/2024

The gravestone of Lucy Dibble is now erect. On Thursday, August 29, 2024, the team of Evan Gilpatrick, Gene Theroux, and Gerry Champiney reset two leaning gravestones. They chose to address Lucy Dibble's fallen tablet that had been on the ground for decades. The initial photo on Lucy Dibble's Find a Grave memorial was published on 28 June 2008: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27843128/lucy-dibble -photo=11410752

What we discovered with the gravestone of Lucy Dibble was that the tablet had snapped just above the base. The base was raised five inches and temporarily secured. Akemi Akepox 5010 was used to adhere the two fragments together. Gene Theroux returned on lat Friday afternoon and used marble patching mortar to fill in any voids. Joe Fournier assisted Gene Theroux in repairing the landscape and taking down the tripod.

08/23/2024

Thank You Tony & Tyler - two Patriots who conserved a Patriot of 1776 gravestone at the Southwick Old Cemetery on Friday, August 23, 2024.

Tony and Tyler repaired an unsafe tablet on a base, two challenging resets, and a third reset to close out the day.

These two Patriots Honored and Remembered a Patriot of the American Revolutionary War. There are twenty-seven Revolutionary War veterans interred in the Southwick Old Cemetery.

08/20/2024

A lot has changed since the assessment of tree damage from a storm on July 17, 2018.

The damage depicted is to the northwestern parameter road. On Friday, August 16, 2024, a team of six worked on the parameter road and made numerous repairs to fallen gravestones, leaners, and footstones.

Assisting Gene Theroux were Chris Auclair, Tony Cruz, Ethan Iglesias, Ryan Krasnecky, and Donnie Huynh. Each of these military members did an extraordinary job.

The landscape was repaired, seeded, and EZ-straw placed to ensure the seed germinated and grows. Each of these monuments are on a down slope - it is critically important to have a good landscape, it helps keep them in place.

08/03/2024

Southwick Old Cemetery, Friday August 2, 2024

The heat and humidity did not deter four veterans from reseting five gravestones, three of which were family members of Amasa Holcomb. Wife Gillet and children Alfred and Candace Holcomb

Amasa Holcomb (1787–1875) was an American farmer, surveyor, civil engineer, businessman, politician, and manufacturer of surveying instruments and telescopes. From instruments he made he observed the total solar eclipse of June 16, 1806. He made astronomical computations from his observations and published almanacs for the partial solar eclipses of 1807 and 1808 from his work. An asteroid, 45512 Holcomb, was named after him. To learn more of Amasa Holcomb, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amasa_Holcomb

More on Amasa Holcomb:

Amasa Holcomb was a self-taught 19th century American who did a little bit of everything in his remarkable life. Born in 1787, his life spanned from the earliest days of the country through the post-Civil war era. Along the way, Holcomb was successful as a teacher, farmer, civil engineer, and tool maker, including becoming the first commercial telescope maker in North America.

Somehow, Holcomb even found time to serve in the Massachusetts legislature and be a popular “circuit riding” Methodist minister. Holcomb was able to claim that he lived in two states and four towns without ever moving from the disputed land that is now Southwick, Massachusetts.
Source: https://springfieldmuseums.org/program/amasa-holcomb-pioneer-american-telescope-maker/

The gravestones of Humphrey Campbell and wife Maria were also properly reset.

There was a team of three veteran volunteers who assisted me with the conservation effort on Friday morning. They were simply phenomenal, and I appreciated their help and contributions.

08/02/2024

Southwick Old Cemetery Preservation Efforts on August 1, 2024

Three veterans teamed up with Evan Gilpatrick to accomplish preservation of three leaning gravestones on a hot, sunny, and humid morning.

The team of veterans included Darcie Rock (U.S. Air Force), Gerald Champiney (U.S. Navy), and Gene Theroux (U.S. Air Force). Evan Gilpatrick assisted the team of veterans.

Gerry Champiney is taking advantage of the Reduction of property tax obligation of veteran in exchange for volunteer services (ref: MGL Chapter 59, Section 5N). There are opportunities for other veterans of Southwick who are property owners to participate in preservation of historic gravestones.

07/26/2024

Darcie Rock and Gene Theroux teamed up to accomplish preservation work on three Brown family gravestones. Each of these monuments were leaners. Each of these monuments had a marble tablet and set in a brownstone base with key.

Two of the monuments had sunk into the ground a full four inches. These two monuments were raised, leveled, plumbed, and aligned.

Both Darcie Rock and Gene Theroux are veterans who are members of The American Legion and serve on the Town of Southwick Cemetery Commission.

Address

454 College Highway
Southwick, MA
01077

Telephone

+1 413-569-3137

Website

https://www.southwickma.org/cemetery-commission

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