Looking to the Future by Preserving the Past: Norwich Volunteers Work Together to Restore Beaver Meadow Cemetery

This past May, volunteers from the Norwich community came together to restore Beaver Meadow Cemetery. Under the guidance of the Vermont Old Cemetery Association (VOCA) and the Norwich Cemetery Commission, the restoration project succeeded in repairing, straightening, and cleaning monuments and headstones in the cemetery that had fallen into disrepair. This project exemplified the goals of both the Vermont Old Cemetery Association and the Norwich Cemetery Commission, two organizations working to preserve the history and legacy housed within Vermont cemeteries.

The Vermont Old Cemetery Association was established in 1958 by Professor Leon Dean of the University of Vermont. Originally, the association focused on restoring wooded cemeteries discovered by hunters in the area, but it has since expanded into a nonprofit that restores cemeteries all over the state from May to October. Communities can contact the VOCA and apply for grant funding to repair a cemetery in the area. The VOCA provides funding and instruction, and the community provides volunteers willing to work to restore and preserve the cemetery.

Tom Giffin, current president of the VOCA, has been a member since 1984, and he has since been a part of hundreds of community restorations. To him, the most rewarding part of the work is preserving the history imbued in these spaces: “You can’t talk about the history of the United States without talking about Vermont, and the people who made that history are buried in Vermont cemeteries.”

For each restoration project, the VOCA depends on volunteers from the communities in which they work. Through community outreach in the weeks leading up to a project, they generate anywhere from 30 to 100 volunteers willing to devote their time and effort to learn how to repair monuments and straighten and clean headstones. Volunteers come from all walks of life, and there are opportunities for people of every age and ability to pitch in. “If they can’t lift stones, they can clean stones. There’s always something for everyone to do,” Giffin explains.

The VOCA approached the Norwich Cemetery Commission regarding the Beaver Meadow project in late May. The Norwich Cemetery Commission is composed of four dedicated civil servants (Wilbert “Scooter” Hardy, Emily Myers, Bonnie Munday, and Dan Goulet) who meet to discuss concerns brought forth by the community about the condition of the local cemeteries. Issues include fallen trees and debris within the cemetery, headstones in need of repair, and full restoration projects like Beaver Meadow.

Emily Myers, voted onto the commission by the town in 2020, is passionate about preserving the history and legacy embodied by local cemeteries. “Preservation means helping to clean and maintain these headstones so that people can enjoy these spaces and learn about those who came before them,” Myers explains.

The Beaver Meadow project was initiated by several community members, including Donna Wheeler and Jane Keller, who brought the state of the cemetery to the attention of both the Norwich Cemetery Commission and the VOCA. With instruction from the VOCA and the help of more than 30 volunteers, the restoration project succeeded in repairing and restoring every damaged headstone in the cemetery.

“In Beaver Meadow, a bunch of stones were down, needed straightening, or needed repair, and before we left, everything in that cemetery was restored,” Giffin recalls.

This project would not have been possible without the effort of the tight-knit local community. Volunteers of all ages came from Essex and other nearby communities to pitch in. “There was a sense of purpose in coming together and helping to preserve this beautiful cemetery,” Myers says. Younger volunteers made the restoration possible despite the steep elevation of the cemetery, pushing wheelbarrows of Surepak gravel uphill.

“It was a great project in a quintessential Vermont cemetery,” Giffin says. “I mean, with a name like ‘Beaver Meadow’, you can’t get more Vermont than that.”

The project marks a success for both the Norwich Cemetery Commission and the VOCA. Both organizations aim to continue restoring Vermont cemeteries for generations to come. These cemeteries are spaces preserved by the community for the community, and the history within their grounds is part of the legacy of Norwich.

Looking to the future, the Norwich Cemetery Commission hopes to facilitate more community restoration projects like the one in Beaver Meadow. “I want to ensure that our cemeteries are places that people can walk, enjoy, and come together as a community to help preserve the history and the integrity of these spaces,” says Myers.

The VOCA remains true to their mission of restoring cemetery spaces to preserve Vermont history. The nonprofit has provided over $60,000 of grant funding to communities across Vermont, and plans to continue fundraising in order to provide larger grants to communities in the future. They aim to expand their membership, especially amongst the younger generation, and continue to demonstrate how much can be accomplished when a community gets to work.

“We are a grassroots Vermont association that does it all for the good of the community. All we ask is that the community provides a few shovels, volunteers, and a sense of humor,” Giffin says.