Restoring and preserving an historic cemetery
Abstract
The restoration and preservation of historic St. Paul's Cemetery in Ellicott City, Maryland, enables eighth graders to perform service and enjoy cross-curriculum educational experiences. Students research the lives of individuals buried in the historic mill town and create a permanent collection on the cemetery at their school, as well as plot and line pathways with ground cover as part of the physical restoration of the site. This effective practice describes the planning, action and reflection phases of the project within the context of best practices of service-learning as established by the state of Maryland. Excerpted from the report A Replication Guide for School-Based Service-Learning by the Maryland Student Service Alliance of the Maryland State Department of Education, compiled in June 1996.Issue
Replicating a service-learning project that fulfills the best practices of service-learning as defined by the state of Maryland.Action
The restoration and preservation of historic St. Paul's Cemetery in Ellicott City, Maryland by eighth grade students at Patapsco Middle School, is an example of a school-based service-learning project that enables eighth graders to perform service and enjoy cross-curriculum educational experiences in science, math, language and Performing Arts. The project is modifiable to different grade and ability levels.
Effective practices in preparation, action, and reflection include the following, where students:
- Research the lives of individuals buried in a historic mill town cemetery dating from 1841.
- Go to the local historical society to locate original documents, such as deeds and census records, regarding their person.
- Photocopy the original documents and laminate the copies for a permanent collection on the cemetery at the school.
- Complete photo documents of the cemetery in its pre-restoration phase that shows others how to proceed at the beginning of the restoration.
- Plot and line pathways through the three-acre site. They identify and remove trees to provide proper sunlight for low-growing, non-maintenance ground cover that they plant to prevent erosion.
- Use "think-pair-share" strategy for reactions to a transparency, "The Plight of Maryland's Historic Burial Sites."
- Complete reflection sheets on community need at the outset of the project.
- Create and keep a journal and are required to make entries as they visit the site and consistently throughout the service-learning project.
Timeline for Teachers
Step 1
Consult your local historical society, genealogy society or department of planning and zoning for information on the location of a historic cemetery nearest your school. Determine if there is any information already published about the cemetery, such as an inventory of names with or without inscriptions, or a map of the cemetery. Depending on what is available, you can determine your starting point. If there is no inventory list of people buried in the cemetery, that might be your goal for the first year.
Step 2
First Year:
1. Pick your cemetery.
2. Visit department of planning and zoning to determine plot.
3. Research deed for the plot at department of deeds and wills to determine ownership.
4. Visit owner to ask permission to do historical research on site. The owner may want a release from liability and may restrict some activities.
5. Create an inventory of the people buried in the cemetery.
6. Let each interested student pick a name to research at the county historical society. Have the student photocopy one document, such as a marriage license, census record, mortgage or voter's registration certificate, then laminate the photo and create an archive of the cemetery at your school.
Step 3
Second Year:
1. Photograph your cemetery to document what it looked like before students begin any restoration work.
2. Check with your county department of law to see if there are any local laws protecting historic sites.
3. Depending on the law, there may be a need for local historic preservation legislation. You may want to approach local officials to see if there is any support.
4. Because of extensive land use development, historic cemeteries in Howard County were being bulldozed until concerned citizens backed by a local official formed a task force to study the issue. The task force allowed local students to help write proposed legislation and new subdivision regulations. The result was a new county law --with student input.
Step 4
Third Year:
1. Have students ask local landscape architects about erosion problems and historically accurate plantings that will not disturb the stone work.
2. Consult with local law enforcement officials for recommendations on combating vandalism in your cemetery.
3. Ask a stone artisan for advice and ask for bids on repairing damaged stonework.
4. Draft a step-by-step site plan and an overall estimate of projected costs.
Step 5
Fourth Year:
1. Begin actual restoration work. Plot out paths, remove trash trees and plant stone-friendly ground cover.
2. Have students apply for a ServeAmerica grant and seek support from local civic groups for funding.
3. Students might create an historical re-enactment video if their research on the cemetery has uncovered an interesting story.
Context
The restoration and preservation of historic St. Paul's Cemetery Project has been ongoing since the fall of 1990 and in 1993 was awarded the Maryland Excellence Award in Social Studies and the U.S. Capitol Historical Society Award. It is one of the model service-learning programs in Maryland as it meets all seven school-based service-learning best practices. The seven best practices are:- Meet a recognized need in the community.
- Achieve curricular objectives through service-learning.
- Reflect through service-learning experience.
- Develop student responsibility.
- Establish community partnerships.
- Plan ahead for service-learning.
- Equip students with knowledge and skills needed for service.
The Maryland Student Service Alliance has posted a Service-Learning Evaluation form, available for download.
In 1992, Maryland became the first state in the nation to require participation in service-learning for all public school students. After the statewide service-learning graduation requirement was implemented in 1992, the Maryland Student Service Alliance (MSSA) created an assessment tool to give teachers standards, help them evaluate their service-learning and identify specific ways to improve their practice. To create Maryland's best practices, MSSA interviewed 80 teachers from around the state and the themes that emerged became the seven best practices.
Citation
The Maryland Student Service Alliance. Cemetery Preservation: A Replication Guide for School-Based Service-Learning. The Maryland Department of Education, June 1996.Outcome
This project has been presented nationally at the 1994 and 1995 National Middle School Association Convention in Portland, Oregon and Cincinnati, Ohio. It has also attracted interest because of its emphasis on student involvement in the governmental process.Posted On
October 16, 2002For More Information
Resources
The following resource(s) are available at the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Library:
Cemetery Preservation: A Replication Guide for School-Based Service-Learning
Item number: 110/GC/MSS/1996
Related Practices
No related practicesRelated sites
Anthropology Outreach Office of the Smithsonian Institute: Exploring Historic Cemeteries
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse