The headstones in Fredericton’s Old Burial Ground are not looking well, and with the help of an archeologist, the city has decided to do something about it. For years, many of 900 headstones in the city have been in a bad shape.
Archeologist Robyn Lacy is specialized in burial sites and she has inspected most of the 900 headstones in Fredericton’s Old Burial Ground. After creating a detailed report, she approached the city authorities and gave them some advice on how to repair the headstones. Lacy stated:
“I was able to look at them all and sort of assess the condition of every stone. We have a sheet for every single gravestone. And then that information will be used by the city moving forward to sort of guide the care for every headstone.”
This year, the city has hired 12 masons from Halifax who will work on the stones. Ashley Goggin, a city project engineer, commented:
“The intent for this year is to really focus on monuments that pose an immediate health and safety risk to the public. And then subsequent to that will be things that are at immediate risk of irreparable damage to the stone itself.”
Goggin said that Fredericton has allocated $50,000 for the repairs and refurbishment of stones. She added that the city’s parks and trees division will try to maintain the burial site. She concluded:
“They will be here multiple times a week to monitor it. Annually, we’re going to be assessing the condition of the stones to make sure that even vandalism hasn’t taken place.”
