Gravestone Cleaning Workshop 2023
Saturday, October 22, 11am-1pm in Rossville Cemetery
818 State Route 32,
Wallkill, NY 12589
It appears we’ll be having a few more weeks of moderate temperatures and some sunshine. Our group of group of volunteers at the Rossville Church and Cemetery are planning to plant a number of flower bulbs this coming Saturday, October 22nd, to put a bit more color and pizazz in our period correct perennial flower bed in the front of the historic church come spring. We survived the drought by bringing in water daily and are seeing some spectacular results from their efforts.
I’ve had some inquiries over the summer months about grave marker cleaning. I personally met with individuals at different cemeteries to instruct them on the proper cleaning techniques and provide the correct cleaning solution and equipment. It’s rewarding to see family members take the time to care for loved ones no longer with us. As often is the case, during the cleaning, reminiscing about the individuals brings a flood of memories back, strengthening the bonds on a family tree and growing strong roots.
Also, this past week, there were some remarks passed around on some social media pages about cleaning grave markers. A discussion with the Rossville Cemetery Association members came to the consensus we would be able to provide a grave marker cleaning workshop for those wishing to learn the skills by piggy backing this off our bulb planting.
This past year, members of the Rossville Cemetery Association have made themselves available to individuals seeking out the final resting place of a loved one, or loved ones, as the case may be. I personally had the opportunity to chat with a gentleman from, I believe, Long Island, who makes regular pilgrimages up to show respect for a fallen comrade and friend he lost in Vietnam.
Seeing things like this warms your heart and soul and is a reward for the improved maintenance we accomplished over the past few years. While we still have so much more to achieve, things continue to move forward.
For anyone interested, we established a website, rossvillecemetery.org, to salute our volunteers, their accomplishments, and begin documenting the history of the location. On this site, we’ve begun an “On Line Research” page which includes some lists of people interred in the two cemeteries, which are separated by State Route 32. If you believe some ancestors may be resting there waiting for a visit, please take a look. These lists are older, and do not include newer burials. The address of the cemetery is 818 State Route 32, Wallkill, NY.
We will accommodate as many as we reasonably can who wish to learn the cleaning process and will provide everything needed, including a cold bottle of water to keep you hydrated. I must caution you stones which appear to be unstable and which could possibly tip over will not be touched until a later time after they are made safe. We are also beginning to straighten up some of the stones which are leaning and can be safely returned to their correct position with the efforts of one or two volunteers.
If you interested, want to learn, or just simply drift by to chat or take a tour, we will be there on Saturday, October 22nd, from 11 AM to 1 PM. We welcome visitors, questions on family members in the cemeteries, and any information you may have on the location, either documents or photos, which are great. These will be posted on the website to be shared by all, preserving another part of our community’s heritage for future generations.
Please reach out and contact me if you want to participate in cleaning a marker so we have enough supplies on hand to be successful. If the marker is a specific family member, please provide the name so we can inspect the stone beforehand. There is absolutely no charge! If you find it to your liking, and enjoy both the tasks and people, you can make a donation to further the associations work, but it is not necessary. Preserving our heritage is what is paramount and sharing it with everyone is our goal.
My contact information is:
Alan B. Crawford Email: historian@townofnewburgh.org or text me at: 845-664-1195
Rossville Church & Cemetery Association 