Historic Cemetery Survey

Documenting historic resources for public awareness, conservation, and sustainable management.

Client:

Town of Hartford, Vermont

Established in 1761, the town is composed of five unincorporated villages: Hartford, Quechee, West Hartford, White River Junction and Wilder. It is an important transportation hub and former center of textile weaving. Demographic and economic change has destroyed or endangered many historic sites. These include village and private cemeteries whose upkeep and conservation pose a continuing concern.

Hartford town seal
Eroded gravestone

The Challenge

The Town of Hartford established a Cemetery Committee to examine the financial challenges facing active and inactive cemeteries regarding maintenance. The Hartford Historic Preservation Commission sought historical research, on-site documentation, and oral history collection to inform the town’s future responsibilities toward its historic cemeteries.

Our Work

  • Undertook archival research.
  • Mapped contemporary and historic cemetery boundaries in GIS.
  • Documented the state of conservation of each cemetery.
  • Recorded oral histories with past and present cemetery association managers.
  • Organized two community meetings to discuss research findings.

Results

  • A research report that details each of the 13 cemeteries and additional private burial grounds in the city.
  • A shapefile with all cemetery locations mapped delivered to the city and State Historic Preservation Office.
  • A set of completed cemetery inventory and monitoring forms and template to facilitate ongoing monitoring.
  • Seven oral history interview recordings, transcripts, photos, and narrative report.
Hartford Cemetery Report
Historic Narrative of Hartford Cemeteries
Download
Hartford Oral History Report
Oral History Interviews on Hartford Cemeteries
Download
Simons Cemetery Map
Example Cemetery Map produced in QGIS

Schedule your free strategy session

For a free 30-minute strategy session on how to take advantage of new methods for tackling pressing heritage challenges, please complete the form below and a member of our team will reach out to schedule your complimentary problem-solving session.