It’s been more than a century since the last person was buried at the Southwest Cemetery at Dobson and Talcottville roads.
Tree roots, frost heaves and other natural forces have caused some of the grave stones to lean. Algae, moss, dirt and even soot from the exhaust of passing vehicles covered many of the grave stones, making them difficult to read.
Monuments at Southwest Cemetery before Vernon Cemetery staff began their work.
In recent weeks the burial ground, also known as Old Dobsonville Cemetery, has undergone a transformation thanks to a state grant and the work of Vernon Cemetery Department employees who have spent more than 235 hours cleaning and straightening the grave markers.
The cemetery is the final resting place for more than 200 people. The first was buried in 1793 and the last in 1920. Zenas Skinner, a Revolutionary War veteran, was buried there in 1838.
Cemetery workers Andrew Gurekovich (kneeling) and Ryan Boland clean a grave stone.
Cemetery Superintendent Kevin Bowman and his team dug deep into the ground to reset the marble, granite, brownstone and slate stones. They glued and clamped broken stones. And they treated stones with a biological cleaning agent, then scrubbed those markers.
“Kevin and his colleagues do a great job maintaining our cemeteries,” Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne said. “His team’s grant-funded work at Southwest Cemetery this fall has truly been spectacular. The stones are straight and bright and the cemetery just looks great. The people buried at Southwest Cemetery left us a long time ago and we continue to carry through with our responsibility to properly maintain their final resting places.”
Cemetery workers Andrew Gurekovich, right, Ryan Boland, left, and John Jurewicz clean a grave stone after applying a biological cleaning agent to the stone.
Bowman said the work, performed after his department’s regular working hours – a requirement of the grant – has been rewarding. His small staff is kept busy maintaining five cemeteries and handling a steady flow of interments.
Vernon Cemetery Superintendent Kevin Bowman, right, and Andrew Gurekovich reset a grave stone.
“Cemeteries are historic places, peaceful places and it’s been enjoyable performing the work and getting to see how much better the cemetery looks now,” Bowman said. “We are grateful to the state for awarding us this grant to do this work.”
A stone that has been cleaned.
Passersby have noticed the transformation and engaged Bowman and his staff as they work.
“People seem to really appreciate what we’ve been able to do and how the cemetery now looks,” Bowman said. “People take pride in our town, and in its history.”
Cemetery Superintendent prepares to remove the clamps from a stone that has been cemented back together.
Although the work Bowman and his team has completed so far has had a dramatic impact on the cemetery’s appearance, more work is to be done. Bowman and his staff -- Andrew Gurekovich, Ryan Boland, John Jurewicz and Mike Bontempo -- will continue working this fall as long as possible, then resume work in the spring.