THOMASTON, Conn. (AP) - Tom Vaughn claims he knows the grounds of Hillside Cemetery better than he does his home in the nearby Terryville section of Plymouth.
That’s not all that surprising considering how much time he spends there. The 20-year-old used to ride his bike there when he was a child.
But since May, he’s been voluntarily working to clean up the “ancient” section of the cemetery. The original local cemetery is where Town Hall is now. The oldest grave there belongs to Phebe Blakeslee, who died in 1744.
Tom Vaughn, 20, of Plymouth, poses at Hillside Cemetery in Thomaston, which he is voluntarily cleaning up. Kurt Moffett/Republican-American
In 1883, the remains of the dead were disinterred and moved to the ancient burial ground.
Vaughn found in May that many of the 200-plus headstones had either fallen down or were knocked down. Some were vandalized and others were propped up with sticks.
Now, he says, there may be 18 or 19 that remain intact that still need to be put upright, while the rest are unknown and in pieces, likely smashed by vandals.
“It’s all detective work, trying to figure out where all of these stones belong,” Vaughn said.
Some headstones got buried in the ground over time, while others have pieces broken off. Not all stones were placed in the right spots, despite the town having kept excellent records of those buried in town.
“One of the things I’m nervous about is I don’t know how much of the cemetery was actually in this order when they moved it,” he said. “I don’t know if they put families together. They didn’t have rows back then, they just buried them wherever they wanted. . We’re not even sure if they moved the bodies.”
Vaughn’s passion for the cemetery is tied directly to his intense interest in history. He has been vice president of the Plymouth Historical Society for the last five years, meaning, yes, he was 15 when he was appointed to that position.
This is what the ’ancient cemetery’ at Hillside Cemetery in Thomaston looked like in May, before Tom Vaughn of Plymouth volunteered to clean it up and straighten many of the headstones that had either fallen over or got knocked down. Contributed
Jerry Milne, a member of the Plymouth Historical Society, said Vaughn regularly attended the group’s meetings on his own so society President Matthew Malley suggested the group make Vaughn the second-in-command.
“He had so much interest in it and he’s always finding old photos of the town, old schoolhouses, mills,” Milne said.
He said Vaughn can make clocks in the likeness of Eli Terry, the famous 19th century clockmaker for which Terryville is named after; runs his own antique shop; and a couple of years ago, was desperately called upon in the middle of the night to go to Plymouth Congregational Church to stop the hands of the church’s tower clock from spinning wildly and the bell from ringing.
This is what the ’ancient cemetery’ at Hillside Cemetery in Thomaston looked like in May, before Tom Vaughn of Plymouth volunteered to clean it up and straighten many of the headstones that had either fallen over or got knocked down. Contributed
“He is amazing,” Milne said.
Hillside Cemetery caretaker Jaime Wilson said he could not believe that someone so young could “have that much knowledge on the history of the cemetery and its occupants.”
“It’s fantastic what he’s done up there as far as the restoration work,” Wilson added. “We are working toward making that section more of a historical attraction and will probably be adding some signs accordingly next year.”
This is what the ’ancient cemetery’ at Hillside Cemetery in Thomaston looked like in May, before Tom Vaughn of Plymouth volunteered to clean it up and straighten many of the headstones that had either fallen over or got knocked down. Contributed
Cemetery Commission member Julie Ingham said members are “grateful” and “in awe” of Vaughn.
“We could listen to him for hours,” she said.
Vaughn said his knowledge has come from his experience at the Historical Society, as well as researching archives, artifacts, records and documents at the Alley House and Toll House museums. He also learned about cemetery headstone restoration from fellow members like Milne through hands-on experiences and lectures.
This is what the ’ancient cemetery’ at Hillside Cemetery in Thomaston looked like in May, before Tom Vaughn of Plymouth volunteered to clean it up and straighten many of the headstones that had either fallen over or got knocked down. Contributed
“I’m the only person my age who’s into this stuff,” Vaughn said.
He said he also goes to lectures with Ruth Shapleigh-Brown, a prominent advocate of cemetery preservation in Connecticut. Vaughn said Shapleigh-Brown is planning to visit the ancient burial ground and evaluate the headstones.
Despite his knowledge, Vaughn said he doesn’t feel entirely comfortable determining which stones to fully restore until Shapleigh-Brown can make some recommendations to him.
Vaughn said the cost to restore a headstone can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.
“Some are beyond repair,” he said. “We don’t even know where the pieces are.”
Back in the 18th and early 19th centuries, people were superstitious about walking over graves, Vaughn said. Thus, the dead were given a foot stone as well as a headstone so people knew how long his or her body was.
“You’re not supposed to be above someone else, even when they’re in the grave,” Vaughn said. “Everyone is equal.”
Cemeteries started eliminating foot stones with the emergence of lawn mowers, he said. Operators found it difficult to cut the grass around the stones.
Vaughn said the neglect the cemetery has suffered is not that surprising. Few know the people who were buried there and there is no road to reach it. There are, however, new wooden steps now that lead up to the cemetery.
“You can’t blame it on anyone,” he said. “It’s no one’s fault. It’s just that the only people you can blame it on are the ones who left it out here in the woods.”
Vaughn said while he has made significant progress, he hopes next year he can start getting an annual group together to clean and maintain the cemetery grounds.
“What’s it been, six months since I started?” he said. “I come up here and I feel a lot happier here now. It’s definitely a cooler place to go.”
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Information from: Republican-American, http://www.rep-am.com
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