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The hands-on effort to restore darkened marble headstones at Riverside Cemetery in Farmington was undertaken by Friends of Gillette Park members Toni-Lynn Miles of Higganum and John C. Sherwood of Middletown. Members of the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park gather in Riverside Cemetery in Farmington to admire the newly cleaned headstones of William and Helen Gillette. At center in costume are Harold “Tyke” and Theodora “Teddie” Niver of Rocky Hill, who frequently portray the Gillettes at Gillette Castle, as well as John C. Sherwood (left) and Kim Forde (right) of Middletown, who initiated and spearheaded the effort.

The headstones of William and Helen Gillette had endured decades of discoloration before cleaning work began in early June by members of the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park.

FARMINGTON — Halloween is drawing near, but there’s been nothing spooky about the recent graveyard goings-on at Riverside Cemetery in Farmington.

The legacy of a long-deceased Connecticut theatrical star William Gillette, whose castle is located in East Haddam, was being brightened by his living admirers, according to a press release. 

“The headstones belonging to William Gillette and his wife Helen now look almost like new, although they’ve been exposed to the elements more than 80 years,” Lynn Wilkinson, president of the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park, said in a prepared statement. 

The hands-on effort to restore the darkened marble headstones was undertaken by Friends members Toni-Lynn Miles of Higganum and John C. Sherwood of Middletown.

Gillette, a Hartford native, became internationally famous as an actor, notably in the role of Sherlock Holmes, whom he portrayed more than 1,300 times in his own stage play based on the character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the news release said. 

Sherwood — a longtime Sherlock Holmes aficionado and a Friends member — volunteered to spearhead the cleaning effort, crediting his wife, Kim Forde, for the initial inspiration. 

“Kim and I first visited the graves in November 2018, before we actually moved here permanently from Michigan,” Sherwood said.

“At the time, Kim remarked that the headstones ought to be cleaned,” he said. “That put the idea into my head to learn what might be done. Eventually, we received the necessary support of the Friends leadership, and the required permission of the Riverside Cemetery Association.” 

In 1919, Gillette moved into a mansion he constructed near East Haddam. Now called Gillette Castle, it is the centerpiece of the state park. When Gillette died in 1937, he was buried in the family plot at Farmington beside his wife, Helen Nichols, who died in 1888, the statement said. 

The graves lie outside of the state park’s boundaries, but the Friends take a deep interest in Gillette and his history, Wilkinson said in the statement. 

“It’s an international legacy, after all,” he added, noting that Gillette was the subject of renewed global interest in 2014, when a long-lost 1916 film of his Holmes play was found in France and subsequently restored for public viewing. 

“The Friends’ motto is, ‘Preserving a Connecticut treasure — celebrating a theatrical icon,'” she said. “So, it wasn’t much of a leap to agree to this project. It fits perfectly with our goals, and we’ve been happy to support it.”

In turn, Sherwood said Friends members assisted him immeasurably in launching the effort. 

“The group began discussing this in earnest two years ago, even though I’m an utter novice at headstone cleaning,” Sherwood said. “Toni-Lynn had done that sort of work before, and she quickly became chief consultant. In early June, she and I went to Riverside and launched the process.” 

It took seven additional trips by Sherwood to the cemetery on Garden Street, and considerable scrubbing to coax the decades of mold and algae stains, plus other residue from the original white marble. 

“Following Toni-Lynn’s advice, I used a mild all-purpose surface cleaner, a soft-bristled brush, many buckets of water and what I laughingly refer to as muscle,” he said. "Fortunately, the marble itself was in wonderful condition.” 

Sherwood and Miles believe the cleaning agent will continue to work on the stone and produce an even whiter-looking appearance as time goes on.

“That means it’s still a work in progress,” he said. “However, visitors should be able to spot these stones very quickly in the row of other Gillette family members. As bright as these are now, they stand out remarkably.”

Gillette Castle is at located at 67 River Road in East Haddam, and visitors may stroll about the grounds from 8 a.m. until sunset daily year-round. The mansion itself is closed for the 2022 season. 

More information about the Friends is available at gillettecastlefriends.org. Trail maps, videos of the estate and current events may be found on the site.

Those interested in becoming a Friends member can visit gillettecastlefriends.org, email info@gillettecastlefriends.org or call 860-222-7850. 

Riverside Cemetery is located at 160 Garden St. For information, call 860-674-0280.