I read with great dismay the struggle over the restoration of the grave markers in the town’s Shaker Village in last week’s Harvard Press, “Shaker grave marker restoration raises objections.”
The Shaker Cemetery is a national treasure— a one-of-a-kind historic place that is many things: a resting place for Harvard’s Shakers, an extremely rare example of a Shaker cemetery where individual markers, beautifully wrought, are extant, and finally, a peaceful and sacred space to reflect and meditate. We should be proud of the legacy we are entrusted with, and expect our local officials, elected or appointed, to be willing to spend the time necessary to ensure these markers are properly conserved for years to come. I believe the Harvard Historical Commission has endeavored to take the time to make wise choices, and encourage their continued efforts.
While the cemetery commissioners may have had the best of intentions by proceeding with a contract with a local metal powder-coating company, their dismissal of the town vote to authorize a study for treatment by a metals conservator to ensure proper preservation of these precious markers is distressing. Whatever the commissioners’ professional credentials, surely they include respecting the wishes of Town Meeting voters and those of their professional colleagues on another town board who are equally concerned about the treatment of irreplaceable historic markers?
Susan Frechette
Poor Farm Road
