There are 17 of them in Hamden, 15 in Walton, and equally about as many in all the other towns in Delaware County. They are the old, abandoned and nearly forgotten cemeteries that can be found, some with difficulty, on our rural roads. A few of them are not very easy to reach from any road. Up until recently, these remnants from the past have existed mostly overgrown and hidden from view, a sad commentary on our respect, or lack thereof, for the long dead. Sometime in 1994, one man, echoing the frustration felt by many area historians, took it upon himself to do something about the decrepit state of these valuable and unique places. Milton Brock of Walton approached his town supervisor and got the go-ahead to look into creating a crew of able-bodied people from the Jobs Experience Program, a part of the Department of Social Services, and tackle the job of cleaning up the old cemeteries. Brock took on the job with a passion, giving the reverend old places the respect and attention they had so long deserved but lacked. He and his crew go in where many fear to tread, and with good reason. In many of the cemeteries, the undergrowth was so thick, walking was nearly impossible and definitely unsafe. Fallen trees were common; woodchuck holes nearly invisible because of the undergrowth made the work fairly dangerous. But Brock persevered because he had a special affinity for these neglected places. Although he often has a crew which consists of as few as one or two men, they perform minor miracles. "The most important---and hardest--- thing to do first was to get rid of all the brush," Brock explains. "That was the worst. In so many of them, it hadn't been done in years and years, if ever. Once that was out of the way, we could take care of the rest." He speaks almost matter-of-factly about the monumental task he and his crews have performed. As any town historian will relate, maneuvering in one of these cemeteries in search of certain gravestones was a hairy venture previously. One would have to go in with at least a clippers in hand, just to make walking possible. Thick vines and thorny bushes abounded; clearing all of that out was definitely not a project for the weak at heart. In fact, it appeared to be an almost impossible task. Aiding and abetting Brock and his crews in this work is Tony Russo who performs the same undertaking in the Hancock/Deposit area. He often finds himself working with Brock "when our crews dwindle, we unite." There is never a lack of this work; after Brock started in the Walton cemeteries, the word got out about what he was accomplishing and other town supervisors took notice. Hamden supervisor Wayne Marshfield contacted Brock, probably because he was getting a great deal of grief from his town historian who'd just gotten the job of censusing the town's cemeteries for the New York State Cemetery Project. The difference Brock, Russo and the crews made in Hamden's cemeteries was truly amazing. On a knoll above a horse farm in DeLancey, there exists the very old DeLancey cemetery to which there was access via a bridge. The bridge has been gone for about 100 years but the cemetery can be accessed with permission from the farm's owners. Prior to Brock's involvement, this cemetery appeared to be of about a quarter of an acre in size. However, if one peered through the adjoining heavy brush nearby, it would be possible to make out a possible stone here and there. After the Brock and Russo team cleaned this cemetery out, the true size of the burial ground came to light; it easily doubled in size and the formerly unreachable section yielded numerous impressive monument-type stones. "As long as we've got that heavy brush cleared out, regular maintenance is a lot easier," Brock points out. Word quickly spread that there existed some people who were serious about taking good care of the old cemeteries and other town supervisors began calling. Brock and Russo and the crews now take care of cemeteries in Walton, Hamden, Andes, Harpersfield and Sidney Center, to name just a few. The size of their crews varies from one or two to maybe ten. But ten is rare. Care must be taken in this work; it is not just a matter of barging in with equipment and whacking away. The stones, for all their age, are fragile and easily damaged. Stones thrown from a mower are a hazard; but not with these men who take great pains to prevent damage. When it is possible, they will right stones that have fallen which can be precarious. Some cemeteries are in better condition than others. "One in Harpersfield has graves that are sunken down over two feet," Russo says. He explains that if the towns supplied topsoil in many situations, conditions would be greatly improved. "They would be easier to maintain and the stones wouldn't be falling in like they are in some places." Other hazards exist such as bees. Brock describes an incident in the Mundale cemetery in Hamden. "I was trimming grass at the base of one gravestone and they just came out of the ground and took off after me. A couple of them got me but I came back with bug spray." Brock and Russo admit to an earnest interest in the stones,
The Brisack Cemetery on Back River Road in the Town of Hamden is one of the old cemeteries now cared for by Milt Brock and his crew
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describing intriguing aspects of many. " There's little lambs on lots of the stones in this one cemetery on Back River Road towards Walton, coming from Hamden." He is describing stones erected for children who died long ago. Their interest is shared by some of their crews. "There's one man who could rattle off so many names, he was really getting into it," Brock says. "He noticed many children had died in certain years and figured there had to have been an epidemic of some kind." Their caring attention is not reserved for the larger cemeteries; there is a tiny burial ground in Harpersfield with just one grave, that of a small girl. They make sure this wee place of final rest is well-tended. Landowners on whose properties these sites often exist do not always have the means or interest to keep the cemeteries neatened. "Most are really happy with our work," Brock says. "Some will come out to see what we're doing and be glad it's getting done. One man came over while we were cleaning up the Kerr's Creek cemetery and said that was the first time he'd seen the grave of his great-great grandfather, even though he'd known it was there." Most of the equipment used by Brock and Russo and their crews are furnished, and happily so, by the towns. The mowers and weed whackers are available to the men for the asking from the road department supervisors. Brock explains similar work that his crews do such as painting churches; the Jobs Experience Program crews can work on projects for non-profit organizations and municipalities. Without a doubt, this is a valuable program which deserves applause. These folks are giving their attention to special places that have been needlessly neglected for too long. And with crew leaders who have the sense of purpose like Brock and Russo have, that neglect is becoming a thing of the past. |