By Scott Ferrara
Three Village Historical Society partnered with the Setauket United Methodist Church in East Setauket June 22 for the latest cemetery cleanup event.
The historical society has recently reformed its Cemetery Committee to address the conditions of the 20 cemeteries in the area. These committee projects invite community members to help in the organized cleaning of cemetery grounds, correcting leaning or fallen gravestones, and using professional methods and materials to clean gravestones.
Participants in the program previously attended the Cemeteries 101 workshop at TVHS headquarters to learn the basics of Long Island cemetery history. They received hands-on lessons in the proper application of D/2, a biodegradable and eco-friendly chemical compound that removes stains caused by mold, algae, lichens and air pollutants. Participants, additionally, learned the do’s and don’ts of working with different types of headstones, and what kinds of permissions are needed to organize a gravestone cleaning project.
The Cemetery Committee has taken on varying duties over the past four decades, including the mapping and recording of headstones, cemetery cleanings and the organizing of numerous Eagle Scout cemetery restoration service projects. The current goals of the committee are focused on addressing the many headstones in need of cleaning and repair to preserve these cultural resources, and to create an updated database to aid local history and genealogical researchers.
The most recent project invited workshop attendees to participate in the organized cleaning of the Setauket United Methodist Church graveyard. The graveyard dates to the mid-19th century, and includes gravestones of many notable families in Three Village history such as the Terrells, Van Brunts, Darlings and Bryants — all of whom were early founders and patrons of the church.
Volunteers and guests at the cleanup day included current residents of historic homes and communities once lived in by people buried at this cemetery.
Cemetery Committee chair, Robert Von Bernewitz, remarked that the D/2 cleaning solution applied to the gravestones will continue working over the next few months, slowly breaking down stains and growths.
Those who wish to participate in future cemetery cleaning projects should contact TVHS, and follow its social media and newsletters for future announcements. The website is: www.threevillagehistoricalsociety.org.
Scott Ferrara is exhibits & collections coordinator at Three Village Historical Society.
