A Grave Situation

(l. to r.) Nick Vellantoni, Connecticut State Archeologist, Jim Doolittle, Donald Parizek

NRCS was recently tapped by the Connecticut Office of State Archaeology and the Historic Cemeteries of Brookfield Association to help determine the historic boundaries of the Merwin’s Brook Cemetery and locate unmarked graves there. In response to the request, NRCS Assistant State Soil Scientist Shawn McVey, NRCS Soil Scientist Donald Parizek, and NRCS Pennsylvania Soil Scientist Jim Doolittle searched for gravesites and the approximate boundaries of the cemetery using ground penetrating radar (GPR) get the job done.

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The graveyard is the second oldest cemetery in Connecticut and has been private property since the early 1900s and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the town of Brookfield. McVey, Parizek, and Doolittle had their work cut out for them attempting to overcome such obstacles to their search as a previous landowner who tried to improve the salability of the land by laying headstones down and covering them with soil in order to minimize the cemetery’s presence. Using GPR, the team was successful in locating several headstones, including a triple stone (circa 1797) which marked the death of three children and another marked with an early urn and willow (circa 1796) – the earliest known use of the urn and willow symbols in the State.
Your contact is Carol Donzella, NRCS community planner, at 203-389-6925, or carol.donzella@ct.nrcs.usda.