Sunshine and a few clouds. High around 65F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..
Overcast. Low near 55F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
The restored Freeman headstones, pictured here, are ready to be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery, a city-owned cemetery. These stones mark the only known surviving graves of free African Americans who lived in Gloucester during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The restored Freeman headstones are ready to be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery. These stones mark the only known surviving graves of free African Americans who lived in Gloucester during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The restored Freeman headstones are ready to be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery, a city-owned cemetery.
The restored Freeman headstones are ready to be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery.
The restored Freeman headstones will be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery, a city-owned cemetery, Wednesday.
Reporter covering Rockport, Manchester and Essex
The restored Freeman headstones, pictured here, are ready to be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery, a city-owned cemetery. These stones mark the only known surviving graves of free African Americans who lived in Gloucester during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The restored Freeman headstones are ready to be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery. These stones mark the only known surviving graves of free African Americans who lived in Gloucester during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The restored Freeman headstones are ready to be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery, a city-owned cemetery.
The restored Freeman headstones are ready to be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery.
The restored Freeman headstones will be set in the Freeman family burial plot in Gloucester’s West Parish Bray Cemetery, a city-owned cemetery, Wednesday.
Gloucester is celebrating a piece of its Black history with the restoration of two massive marble headstones at the West Parish Bray Cemetery. The stones are scheduled to be reset in the ground on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
The over 600-pound headstones mark the final resting place of the Freemans, a family of free Black Gloucester residents who previously owned the Wellspring House property up the road for around 130 years. They are the only known surviving graves of free African Americans who lived in Gloucester during the 18th and 19th centuries.
One stone honors Robert Freeman, who passed away in 1854, and his two wives — Rhoda Freeman, who died in 1829, and Lucretia Freeman, who died in 1851. The other stone is for Robert’s son, Robert Jr., a landowner and mariner. He left behind a family of his own after passing away in 1860.
“Most of that land was purchased by Robert (Sr.),” explained Christine Maney, a member of the City-Owned Cemeteries Advisory Committee who helped spearhead the initiative. “He was an entrepreneur and a well-respected member of West Parish.”
In 2019, the City-Owned Cemeteries Advisory Committee planned to restore the headstones themselves. However, after surveying the damage, it was quickly determined that the headstones needed professional care. Just a few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It wasn’t until last year that the cemetery committee, working with Wellspring House, received a $5,925 grant from the New England Biolabs Social Justice Committee to complete the project. The headstone project was rounded out with additional funds provided by the Gloucester’s Department of Public Works.
Wellspring House has also established an initiative to research and compile the full history of the Freeman family.
Rob Surabian was hired to handle the gravestone restoration. His company, Gravesite Preservation of Winchester, has restored headstones in graveyards around Salem, Burlington and Stoneham, some reaching 19 feet high.
“I’ve been working for seven or eight years,” he said. “I do a whole bunch with different communities and a lot of volunteer work — different people who might have a small family cemetery or don’t have the resources.”
Surabian began working on the Freeman headstones this past spring.
“I did some repairs then I coated everything except the face of stone with Type N mortar,” he explained. “Once that set, I poured the regular concrete around it. The Type N will be like a sacrificial layer. It’s a layer between the stone and the concrete so if anything needs to be done, you can get to the marble.”
Surabian and two Public Works crewmen will be putting the headstones back in their spots on Wednesday, Oct. 12. From there, the City-Owned Cemeteries Advisory Committee volunteers will clean up and plant new grass around the gravesite.
“(Surabian) placed (the headstones) in a strong backing,” Maney said. “The entire backing includes an encasing for stone that is put into ground. By exposing the entire stone, you get to see the name of the carver of each stone which is usually buried into ground.”
The Freeman headstone restoration project is part of the city’s commitment to the maintenance and preservation of the city-owned cemeteries. Previously, the City-Owned Cemeteries Advisory Committee has restored headstones, some of which date back to 1715, at the First Parish burial ground off Centennial Avenue. Another project saw 33 veteran headstones restored in four different city-owned cemeteries.
“Projects like this don’t get done without people like Christine,” said Surabian. “She’s the one writing all the grants. I told her that I have the easy job. The city of Gloucester also deserves a lot of credit for being interested in this project.”
Maney said she’s still looking for more City-Owned Cemeteries Advisory Committee volunteers to help out on future projects. The committee’s mission is to preserve, rehabilitate, and restore the many threatened historical grave sites as well as the public landscapes in Gloucester’s city-owned cemeteries.
For more information on how to join, visit gloucester-ma.gov/869/Cemeteries-Advisory-Committee or email cemeteriesadvisorygloucester@gmail.com
Reporter covering Rockport, Manchester and Essex
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Home delivery and Digital Access customers of the Gloucester Daily Times get deals for restaurants, hotels, attractions and other businesses, locally and across the country.
See our e-edition for a full replica of today’s newspaper. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, see our special entertainment pages with TV listings, comics and puzzles.
Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox.
First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.