Volunteer / Educational Event
Parisi Hampbel is pairing research with hands-on teaching. On Oct. 18–19, Colchester Historical Society will host a stone-wall building workshop at the Old Covered Bridge Cemetery, off Bridge Street, led by mason Pat Ryan. “We’re trying to involve students from the school,” Hampel said. Participants will learn the history and craft of dry stone and help restore about 30 feet of a collapsing wall near the flagpole. “We can use a few more people,” she added; Colchester residents are not charged a fee, and those from outside town are asked for a free-will donation. Volunteers should bring work boots, gloves, safety glasses—and, if they have them, a stone hammer or small level. To register call Parisi Hampel at 607-363-7303.
Parisi Hampel is also working with students on careful, approved cleaning methods for historic stones and on why it matters.
“Sometimes gravestones are the only record that the person existed,” she said. The documentation aids families, genealogists and applicants to lineage societies. It also revives public memory. “Paige Cemetery was considered a garden cemetery when it was laid out,” she noted - meant for walking, contemplation and paying respects.
Her hope is simple and durable: “I hope that we would continue to keep good care of our cemeteries… out of respect for our past generations,” she said. “Younger generations [should] learn of the importance and the value of having cemeteries that are well kept, and that memories can be reserved and history can be preserved.”