SOUTHAMPTONTOWN HISTORIC DIVISION
GRAVESTONE PRESERVATION WORKSHOP
NORTH END BURYING GROUND
North Main Street
Southampton
September 22 - 24, 2016
The Town of Southampton’s Historic Division sponsored a burying ground workshop from Thursday through Saturday, September 22 – 24 at the North End Burying Ground, under the auspices of Town Clerk Sundy A. Schermeyer. Professional stone conservator Joel C. Snodgrass, a principal with Steward Preservation Services, demonstrated “best practices” and provided training for participants who attended the public session on Saturday, September 24. The event was supported by the Howell Family Association, many of whose ancestors are interred at the site which dates from the early 1700s.
This year’s program focused on the repair of a monumental marble obelisk of the King family, as well as slate and sandstone tablets of Howell family members that demonstrated a variety of condition problems. Because of its height and weight, the obelisk was disassembled, old cement repairs removed, and its base leveled before reassembly with epoxy adhesive. The top of the obelisk was broken and no longer secure, causing a safety hazard for visitors to the burying ground. The slates and brownstones enabled the conservator to demonstrate special techniques reserved for these stone types, which are prone to delamination. Employing liquid grouts, he filled cavities behind the inscriptions on eight of the headstones that were in danger of disintegration. In addition, the headstone of Frederick Howell, infant son of Frederick Sr. and Elmira Howell, was repaired and reset after its original base was found buried in the ground. Approximately thirty marble headstones were also treated with an antimicrobial solution that cleans them of unsightly mold and lichen.
The program was one in a series of annual burying ground workshops designed to advance the goal of repairing and preserving the town’s historic headstones while demonstrating techniques employed in the work to the general public. The workshops are offered free of charge. The Town of Southampton owns and maintains ten historic burying grounds, of which the North End Burying Ground is the largest with 668 headstones. In 2015, in celebration of the town’s 375th anniversary, the Old Southampton Burying Ground was restored with support from the Robert D. L. Gardiner Foundation.
For information, call the Town Historian Julie Greene
#631-702-2406 or email JGreene@southamptontownny.gov.