To the Editor:
“An Introduction to Gravestone Conservation” is the December program for the New Scotland Historical Association.

This program will be presented at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, at the Wyman Osterhout Community Center in New Salem at 7 The Old New Salem Rd. Admission is always free.

Genealogist and gravestone conservator Christopher White (also known as The Albany Gravedigger) will take us on a journey into old and neglected local cemeteries where time has taken its toll on 18th- and 19th-century gravestones. Through a series of photographs White will present the process of gravestone conservation, maintenance, and restoration.

If his name sounds familiar it may be because he has been featured in the media …  

Christopher White has a passion for genealogy and is active in cleaning up cemeteries that have suffered the ravages of time. He is a recognized expert in the restoration of old grave markers and how to clean off the mildew, moss, and pollutants without causing further damage to the stone …. 

Mr. White has said, “A cemetery can be considered an outdoor museum.” In the town of New Scotland, small family and church cemeteries are plentiful. Many of them provide the final resting place for veterans of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. 

Besides the historical importance of these sites, there’s the genealogical ….

Reflecting on the restoring of these worn and forgotten markers, Christopher White said, “It feels great to know that you are helping preserve history and that these long-lost souls are not forgotten.” 

Mr. White is a member of the Association of Graveyard Studies and the Capital District Genealogical Society.

Come join us as Christopher White presents the story and the process of gravestone conservation, maintenance, and restoration.

The New Scotland Historical Association Museum will be open for a half-hour before the program.

Judy Kimes

Publicist

New Scotland

Historical Association