REPORT FROM THE FRONT
There has been and continues to be a lot going on at OBBG in the 2016 winter.
Fall cleanup– The Local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution held a clean-up day in October at OBBG. They did a fine job raking up brush, leaves, etc. Thank you folks.
Maintenance – Our Angel, Eric, continues to maintain OBBG. He is doing a fine job keeping OBBG mowed, trimmed and tidy. As usual, he is doing more than expected, repairing some of the headstones damaged by the falling trees and limbs. Thank you Eric.
Brightside – We have reestablished our relationship with Brightside. They are under new management, and have an enthusiastic leader. I have attended one meeting so far, and the small team seems to have excellent focus. They have arranged for fallen tree removal, and have obtained a quote for other tree removal. They have also worked with the Director of Community Development, to fund the National Historic Register (NHR) sign for OBBG.
Bradford Historical Commission – We have established a working relationship with the Bradford Historical Commission. While OBBG does not currently fall under their jurisdiction, we keep them informed of our plans and activities just in case we need their assistance at some point. We have arranged for a FCC Bradford church member to be appointed to this commission.
Friends of OBBG – We started an ad-hoc group in support of OBBG. We call ourselves “Friends of OBBG”. With this group, we hope to become more focused on OBBG for the future. Allied Families are invited to join us.
Grant application for tree removal – We have written and submitted, with Brightside, a grant application for tree removal to the Methuen Festival of Trees. A lot of work, but it is done. Now we await their decision. The grant application was based on the hard work of John and Melinde in their NHR submission. Thanks guys!
Spring celebration – We are coordinating various events such that we might have a celebration of the NHR recognition in Spring, 2016. We are presently determining the sign design, have made arrangements with Atwood Memorial to handle the production of the sign, and have obtained approval of the Mayor’s planned attendance. Date TBD.
NHR plaque design – John has proposed a NHR design, which is currently being reviewed. Brightside is looking for an appropriate stone for the sign. We hope to finalize the design soon.
That’s it from cold, snowy, New England.
Blessings to all my cousins,
B. Tenney
Tree cutting and removal that was done October 26th 2015.
TENNEY TIMES – Summer, 2010
The TFA has contributed again to the clean-up and maintenance costs for the OBBG cemetery. Earlier in the year a relationship was established with Haverhill’s Brightside, a local 501 (c)3 organization that is working on various community projects around Haverhill.
An additional amount was sent to Peterson Landscaping to replace a trimmer that was ruined while doing volunteer work at the OBBG. Mr. Peterson and other members of the community have pooled their resources, with support of the Mayors’s office, to preserve the Pentucket Burial Ground in Haverhill. The Mayor’s office has also asked Brightside to help maintain the city-owned Bradford Burial Ground located on Salem Street.
An article in The Eagle-Tribune states, “For the last four years, Peterson has been caring for the cemetery. He often brings his wife and children to help, along with a crew of employees from his landscaping business. He pays them out of his pocket and said taking care of the place is ‘good karma.’” He does similar work at the Old Bradford Burial Grounds. For more information about Erik’s unselfish volunteer efforts go to: http://www.epetersonlandscaping.com/about/eagle_tribune.htm
GROUND PENETRATING RADAR– 2008
The GPR flags are the locations of grave sites without stones. These red flags were replaced with round metal markers which were nailed into the ground showing areas of missing stones. R. Perry is the gentleman that did the Ground penetrating radar study – John.
Today is one of the most exciting times in the history of research at the Bradford Burial Ground. For this year began the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey of the BBG. The survey is being conducted by R. Perry, owner of Topographix. Robert specializes in cemetery mapping and is currently creating a detailed map of the BBG. When completed it will be the most accurate and informative map of the burial ground.
Robert is using a ground radar unit to scan the burial ground and is recording the information. Whenever Robert gets a reading on the radar unit indicating a possible burial site, he marks the spot with a metal ring and spike. These markers (right) are flush with the ground enabling volunteers to mow right over them, avoiding any tripping hazards. They are made of metal for durability and can be easily located, using a metal detector, when covered with grass or leaves. (Courtesy of Chris, 2009)
GRAVESTONE PHOTOGRAPHY – 2008
Over the years, many people have photographed the stones at the Bradford Burial Ground. Unfortunately, those photos are scattered. Today, John and Chris have been slowly photographing all of the headstones missing from the Bradford Burial Ground website. Hopefully this will give researchers a one stop source for stone photos. Sadly, many stones are missing or broken. If anyone has photos of BBG gravestones, please check to see if those stones are missing from the website. If they are, or if you have a better photo than any on display, please send them to John, care of the website www.bradfordburialground.com. (Courtesy of Chris, 2009)
John, using a mirror to make the engravings more visible, photographs the BBG gravestones.