Headstone for Elijah Crane, died Jan. 15, 1818 aged 73, was cleaned during a work party at the Chamberlain Corners Cemetery on May 7. Submitted Photo.
WADDINGTON – Nineteen volunteers (10 Alcoa Active/Retirees and 9 Waddington residents) spent the morning of May 7 beautifying and restoring historic Chamberlain Corners Cemetery.
The cemetery gravestones date back to 1800’s. Several veterans are buried in this cemetery dating back as far as the Revolutionary War.
The cemetery was in need of attention to straighten, reset and clean stones as well as clean up overgrown trees, remove old stumps and brush that had grown up and taken over several gravestones. New fencing was also installed on the corners of the cemetery to clearly define the property lines.
A new flagpole was donated by a local business earlier in the fall of 2021 and was installed prior to Veteran’s Day 2021.
Local business owners Andy Miller (owner AJK), Bill & Marcia Tiernan and The McKnight Family Farm all donated heavy equipment to be used at the event by qualified volunteer operators including Waddington’s Jimmy Sweet to assist with the activities of the day.
The Town of Waddington Highway Superintendent Dave Putney and the Highway Department employees were essential to the success of this event. Waddington Town Supervisor Alex Hammond, Councilmen Travis McKnight and Tom Hunter were among the 19 volunteers that made the day a complete success.
A summary of the accomplishments of the day’s approximately 80 labor hours include:
Removal of two dead danger trees, removal of overgrown bushes, fallen limbs and stumps, installation of fencing on property corners, cleaning of 123 gravestones, straightening of 33 gravestones, excavation and resetting of four large gravestones, and leveling of two large stones
Additional activities are needed to complete and maintain the restoration of this beautiful cemetery and will be done in the coming months by village and town volunteers. Similar activities will be required at the other four cemeteries in the Town of Waddington in the future.
The Waddington Cemetery Committee is grateful for the Alcoa active and retired volunteers as well as the local resident volunteers and the local businesses that made this event a success.
If any organizations are interested in a volunteer activity to continue the momentum, please contact the Town of Waddington offices.
