We are Tina and Dale Utter. We are members of the Association for Gravestone Studies and we are passionate about cemeteries. We restore neglected and overgrown cemeteries, reset downed stones and repair broken ones. Our primary interest is the study and appreciation of old sandstone carvers. We consider their work to be folk art. We hope this column will increase awareness of much-forgotten cemeteries.
Last year we spent time with our friend Mary Dexter and we were thrilled to receive a tour of cemeteries in her area. She is the ultimate authority on old gravestones of central New York, so we knew we could learn a lot from her.
We stopped at one rural cemetery where we couldn’t help but notice how overgrown it had become over the years. We saw many stones flat on the ground, many leaning and still more broken and in need of repair. It was a very sad sight and, unfortunately, a similar scene to many rural cemeteries. At the same time, we were hopeful because we could see someone had been there to clean up the overgrowth.
As we walked around we noticed one stone in particular. It had a name and below the dates it read, “Remember Me.” These two words touched our hearts. Isn’t that the whole purpose of gravestones and cemeteries? People want to be remembered. They want to think their life meant something. That others cared about them and that they will be missed. Don’t we all want that?
Unfortunately, over the years people die off until there is no one alive that remembers the deceased. The gravestone and plot become neglected and, over time, the whole cemetery becomes a forgotten and fading memory.
As you drive around the countryside you notice these once-prominent cemeteries are being gobbled up by all the plants, trees and shrubs as nature reclaims the land.
There is much to be done to help abandoned cemeteries. A primary goal is to make people aware of the plight of these cemeteries. In the articles to come we will talk about various cemeteries throughout the county as well as general cemetery information. We hope people will learn more about them and gain a better appreciation for what they have to offer. Maybe they will even go spend time in a cemetery to clean it up or learn about it. We have a very challenging and daunting task ahead of us if we will ever see old cemeteries restored to their former glory.
