Dear Friends,
The Ancient Burying Ground Association, Inc. (ABGA) is the oldest-surviving colonial site in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. The ABGA recently completed a Strategic Plan to update its mission and to prioritize critical projects in the Ancient Burying Ground. This includes identifying and repairing 59 head and footstones that need re-setting and repairs. Gravestones lean primarily because of the natural settling and shifting of the ground beneath them over time. We affectionately refer to this group as “The Leaners Project.”
The ABGA has conducted an inventory and identified 59 gravestones, including headstones and footstones, that are in critical need of repair and resetting. We have engaged professional conservator Jonathan Appell and his team to conduct the work over the summer. Jonathan Appell is America’s top source for gravestone and monument restoration resources and training. The total estimate for this project will be close to $20,000 and the ABGA has committed at least $10,000 towards this very difficult and labor-intensive project.
You can help with this project by adopting a grave marker! Each stone will cost about $350, you can read the list of people’s names and the date of their death on page 2 of this letter. Choose one from the list and send a contribution toward its straightening AT ANY AMOUNT! If donations for one stone exceed what is needed, or if you’d rather not select a name, donations will be used for the entire project to repair and reset the 59 stones.
Your donation in any amount, large or small, makes a difference! Please consider donating today.
Sincerely,
Ty Tryon
President, Ancient Burying Ground Association
Donations by check are accepted through the U.S. mail:
Ancient Burying Ground Association
P.O. Box 347
Hartford, CT 06141-0347