NORTHFIELD — Visitors to Center Cemetery may have noticed a number of tombstones that are leaning, broken, dirty or covered in lichen. But the cemetery’s appearance is something the Historical Commission hopes to improve.
Historical Commission Chairwoman Carol Lebo said while the cemetery on Parker Avenue is surrounded by scenic views of the river and meadows, rejuvenating the cemetery itself could enhance visitors’ reverence of history.
“It doesn’t pull people to it, to appreciate it,” she said. “But we think it has potential to be a really lovely place for Northfield.”
As the oldest and largest of the town’s seven cemeteries, it includes graves with family names that endure in Northfield today. Relatives of famed evangelist Dwight L. Moody and of the Stearns family, who built many Northfield homes, are buried there, Lebo said.
It’s on the National Register of Historic Places.
Routine maintenance, primarily the mowing of grass, is overseen by the Highway Department, Lebo said, but there isn’t money specifically allotted for tombstone rehabilitation. Few details regarding how the Historical Commission would pay for repairs have been finalized, but ideas include seeking Community Preservation Act grants, requesting money be allocated by town meeting voters, and fundraising.
“Ultimately, it will probably need some grants,” Lebo said. “We’re thinking it would be good to raise money in town to incite interest in the whole program.”
Lebo suspects the Historical Commission will start some sort of fundraising this year. Historical Commission member Susan Ross proposed reviving the nonprofit that former member Marie Ferré started before her death in 2016, called the Friends of Northfield’s Old Cemeteries.
“I think this organization needs to be resurrected as a means of raising funds for Northfield’s old cemeteries,” Ross said. Referring to the Historical Commission, she added, “We all agreed that this was the next step — getting this resurrected.”
Another possibility, Ross said, is to do repairs as fundraising allows. Lebo estimated costs could be around $30,000.
On Oct. 19, Ross said, the Historical Commission had Kai Nalenz of Gravestone Services of New England, of New Hampshire, visit the cemetery. The same business was hired by Deerfield in February to repair the Old Albany Road cemetery. Ross said Nalenz advised the first step, should the Historical Commission move forward, would be for the business to complete a conservation master plan, outlining a scope of work and high-priority repairs.
Another end goal, Lebo and Ross said, is to honor Ferré. The Historical Commission intends to dedicate a bench in the cemetery to her.
“This is a long-term project,” Lebo explained. “But it’s inspired by Marie, and … when the project’s reaching its end, we’d like to dedicate a bench to her memory.”
Ferré used to be chairwoman of the Historical Commission, and had a passion for maintaining historical cemeteries. Ferré, along with Ross and fellow Historical Commission member Joan Stoia, also compiled the Northfield edition of “Images of America.”
“Her death was a loss to many of the historical interests in Northfield,” Lebo said. “We remember her fondly, and because of her efforts to rehabilitate and educate about cemeteries and gravestones, the obvious thing to do is dedicate a bench to her.”
Reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 257