"It's kind of interesting to everybody": More historic grave markers found in Worcester

WORCESTER — More historic grave markers with inscriptions that identify some of the city’s most prominent residents from the 1700s have been unearthed at Hope Cemetery, and they’re on display for the public to see.

Park your car near the cemetery’s administration building on Webster Street, and you can’t miss the headstones, footstones and stone fragments located nearby on a small circular plot. The markers represent the lives of 19 Worcester residents from long ago.

All were unearthed in that circular plot by Ta Mara Conde, owner of Historic Gravestone Services , who has restored cemetery markers for over 25 years.

“People are very excited seeing them,” said Conde, hired by the Friends of Hope Cemetery to unearth, preserve and display the markers. She said those on display represent 19 Worcester residents who lived in the 18th century.

Revolutionary era remains

Conde's work started months ago, when the first two headstones were uncovered and restored. One includes the inscriptions of Simon Gates, who died in 1777, one year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The other is inscribed with the name of Mrs. Sarah Trowbridge, who died at 31 on July 15, 1787.

The remains of Gates and Trowbridge and others buried in the Hope Cemetery plot were originally interred at Worcester Common. They were exhumed to make way for the Worcester Center development project and reburied at Hope Cemetery in 1969.

It's unclear why the headstones were buried at the time of reinterment.

A granite marker at the Hope Cemetery plot includes the names of 111 people whose remains were transported from Worcester Common. Forty-seven names on the marker are those reinterred with their gravestones. Those without gravestones are unidentified, according to the marker’s inscription.

Goal set, challenges galore

When the Friends hired Conde, the goal was to unearth as many of the 47 gravestones as possible, restore them and set them permanently above ground at the Hope Cemetery site. Progress has been made, including the unearthing of three footstones inscribed with the names of Lydia Chadick, Martha Holbrook and Jonathan Gates.

Conde also found the top and bottom portions of Jonathan Gates' headstone, but she hasn’t located the middle one. The bottom section is set above ground, and it's inscribed with "Reader, remember death." Conde is keeping the damaged top section at her shop until she can determine how to preserve it.

That kind of challenge is causing the project to take longer than expected. Conde is working with a map that pinpoints spots where remains and markers could be located, provided by a company hired by the Friends of Hope Cemetery that does ground penetrating radar.

"It's like taking a stab in the dark. I have a map, but it doesn't give exact locations," said Conde.

Finding all 47 headstones is a “good possibility,” she said. “Will they all be in good shape? No." That means some of the finds are damaged beyond repair and won't be displayed.

What excites Conde is her belief that many of gravestones were hand-carved by William Young, a famous 18th-century stone carver. Rounded edges are a sign of Young's work, said Conde. So is the inscription style, said Conde, like a small letter V that connects the two vertical lines in a capital H.

Conde hopes to finish locating the markers by the end of this year. The preservation work will take more time, she said, because some headstones are damaged. Some that can be salvaged will need a new stone base so the markers sit high enough above the ground for visitors to read inscriptions.

The Friends of Hope Cemetery plan to have a dedication ceremony for the markers when the project is done.

Exciting times

Conde said these are exciting times not only for her but also for the visitors who drop by, curious to find out what's going on.

“People drive by, ask questions,” said Conde. "(The markers uncovered) are founding fathers, big names from the beginning of Worcester. It’s kind of interesting to everybody.”

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com . Follow him on X: @henrytelegram .

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: "It's kind of interesting to everybody": More historic grave markers found in Worcester