Rediscovering Community Cemeteries: Identifying Gravesites

Abstract

Cemetery gravesite identification is often taken for granted, but what happens when individual graves are not well identified, or their location has become obscure? A project conducted in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, will offer insight into cemetery and grave identification, and feature techniques that have enabled a community to remember their past. Presentations will focus on collaborative efforts between a community and the nearby university archives that highlight discovery of the stories of Civil War veterans and Chinese Americans; how members of the local historical society engaged the community to document and preserve cemeteries in their area; and applied archaeology techniques and analysis of headstones and geophysical methods to examine changes in the development of a cemetery. Participants will be engaged to explore how their communities can benefit from a discussion about these special projects.