The Graveyard Restoration Committee will be providing a guided tour of selected grave markers and headstones at the Mapleshade Cemetery on Sunday, May 3, at 2. The tour will be guided by Dan Cruson, an expert on early life in Colonial Connecticut, including the evolution of local grave markers from the 1600s through the 1800s.
These select headstones are quite artful and rich in symbolism. The tour is free and open to the public. There is no rain date; in the case of inclement weather bring an umbrella.
The Mapleshade complex has five cemeteries within the grounds; two are private and the other three are town-owned and maintained. The earliest grave markers date back to the town’s beginnings. Entrance to the cemetery is at the junction of North Street and Maple Shade Road, not far from Copp’s Hill Plaza.
Mr. Cruson is a retired Joel Barlow High School teacher with a strong interest in Colonial Connecticut. He is a past president of the Newtown Historical Society, a past president of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut, and the town historian for Newtown. He is the author of several books, including The Pre-History of Fairfield County and Putnam’s Revolutionary War Encampment: The History and Archaeology of Putnam Memorial State Park.
This community program is sponsored by the Ridgefield Graveyard Restoration Committee, the Ridgefield Historical Society, and Keeler Tavern Museum.
For more information, call committee member Hannah Barber at 203-244-8408.