Memorial Preservation
The Memorial Preservation Committee is working to save and preserve memorials, statues, hallowed final resting places of historic and cultural significance.
The historic burial grounds and cemeteries of Havre de Grace are vital elements of the City’s cultural heritage. They are often the oldest surviving remnants from the early years of a community and represent important social, historic, architectural, and archeological artifacts. In addition to their historical value, many of these significant cultural landscapes must also meet contemporary needs.
The gravestones, monument, memorials, and tombs found within the cemetery landscape commemorate the lives of many generations of citizens, from founding members of a community and the state to Revolutionary and Civil War heroes to the newest comrades of recent service. These essential artifacts are a unique historical and genealogical record, sometimes representing the history’s only source. Many stones reflect an important artistic legacy, displaying the work of a long tradition of skilled stone carvers and documenting the evolution of funeral iconography.
Burial grounds and cemeteries are important public spaces with a vital link to the past. These sites tell a story of evolving burial and mourning practices, from the bleak indigenous and slave graveyards to the richly ornamented cemeteries of the 19th century. When little else may remain intact from the beginnings of our city or town, the burial ground with its stone walls, mature trees and dirt paths can often evoke the early history of a community. As open space becomes more and more scarce and undeveloped land is increasingly used for other purposes, burial grounds and cemeteries remain places for solitude, contemplation, and reflection.
To volunteer or donate, please contact Reginald Bishop through the “Contact or Donate” page of this site.