Burial Ground Steward

A Steward is an observer who looks over a Cemetery of Burial Ground and reports items of concern to the Southampton Town Historic Burial Ground Committee. Each of the Town’s ten historic burial grounds has its own Steward.

If significant issues are discovered the Steward is asked to bring them to the attention of the Committee. Once per year in April, Stewards are asked to fill out an annual “Cemetery Condition Form”.  This information will be used to help plan restorative efforts. 

Cemetery Condition Form 

Cemetery __________________        Steward _____________ Date _________

                        Condition of Fence & Signage

                        Is Tree work required?

                        What is the General appearance of the Burial Ground?

                        Are there erosion issues?

                        Have Gravestones conditions deteriorated?

                                    Using a gravestone condition baseline for comparison

                                    U of Penna gravestone condition map or website

                                    Stewards should note changes Are any stones missing?

                        What gravestones do you feel are in the most need of attention?                    

            1) Stewards should become familiar with the use of the website

            2) Visit their cemetery before an annual meeting 

            3) Provide digital images of issues they discover – identify CemPlotIdNum

            4) Present their recommendations at that meeting

            5) The Committee will prioritize issues and schedule actions or workshops 

Present Stewards of Town-owned Cemeteries/Burial Grounds

East Quogue Methodist Cemetery – Sarah Mendenhall Luhmer

Fournier Cemetery – Hampton Bays Historical Society (Brenda St. Claire)

Hubbard Cemetery – Hampton Bays Historical Society (Brenda St. Claire)

Old Noyac Burying Ground – Julie Greene

Old Southampton Burial Ground – Southampton Historical Museum (Tom Edmonds)

North Sea Burial Ground – Southampton Historical Museum (John Griffin)

North End Burial Ground – Southampton Historical Museum (Sally Van Allen)

Paul Cuffee Gravesite – Parks Department (John Irwin)

Pleasure Woods Cemetery – Ken Alfano 

Westhampton Presbyterian Cemetery – Tom Rogers

A Stewardship Goals for Southampton Town Cemeteries

Cemetery environment

     Assessment of risks and remediation                                                       

                        Tree encroachment and removal

                        Bank erosion  

     Grounds

                        Lawn maintenance – mowing and upgrades

                        Flower maintenance – bed design

                        Fence – needs and maintenance

                        Lighting & Security

Public Education

      Signage – develop new/establish a maintenance schedule for signage

      Community outreach

                        Engage community in projects

                        Encourage media coverage of stewardship progress                 

       Conduct research to enhance current understanding of cemeteries and gravesites

       Expand existing website to include all aspects of stewardship program                   

Gravestone preservation, conservation and restoration

        Recommend methods and establish guidelines

        Undertake demonstration projects 

Funding

            Create a budget committee

            Explore fund raising or grant opportunities