Submitted photo
Jon Appel at the headstone of Dorcas Holt Buchanan during a previous visit to Lewistown. Appel dug to see how far the cement went and then put it all back
LEWISTOWN — Jenny Baron Landis, executive director of the Juniata Valley Visitors Bureau, spoke with Mifflin County Commissioners on Thursday, sharing information about the ACT 13 project to preserve Lewistown Borough’s earliest heritage and history in repairing headstones at Old Town Cemetery, the resting place of Lewistown’s first settlers.
“I researched and found America’s premier expert in headstone and monument cleaning, repair and preservation, Jonathan Appell, owner of Atlas Preservation of Southington, Connecticut, who will be coming to Lewistown in October to repair historic headstones and monuments at Old Town Cemetery, which have increasingly decayed after years of weatherization,” she said.
Old Town Cemetery, established in 1802, is the resting place of the borough’s earliest European settlers and early African-Americans of Lewistown. Appell held a workshop in the borough last year at the African-American Cemetery, in which the headstones he worked on are much brighter than years before.
Atlas Preservation specializes in sealing cracks in stone. Appell is sought out through the United States to preserve historic monuments in cemeteries.
Old Town Cemetery also is the resting place of the grave of Dorcas Holt Buchanan, the first female resident of Lewistown.
As a preeminent expert in stone rehabilitation Appel will be bringing a skill that will help preserve history in good place for the citizens and future citizens of Lewistown, Landis explained.
Old Town Cemetery also is the resting place of soldiers from the borough who fought in the American Revolutionary War against the British.
“Headstones can’t last forever and eventually turn to dust, but through preservation can prolong their life for as long as possible,” Landis said.
Many nuances of time are also effecting Old Town Cemetery as modern cement borders historic gravestones and headstones that have sunken and are vulnerable to lawnmower blades, along with cracks which hold water and expand and erode with freezing and thawing. Appell will be working primarily on Dorcas Buchanan’s grave site. County employees and members of the public are welcome to follow along Appel as he works on the headstones.
“What’s important here is that that we get training so that learn as much as possible, so that we can then know the materials and techniques used to preserve the rich history of our borough for future generations,” Commissioner Kevin Kodish said.
“You can still read Dorcas’s headstone, which is absolutely amazing which must be tribute to good Central Pennsylvania sandstone,” Landis said. “Atlas Preservation will be primarily, one, preserving the base of Dorcas Buchanan’s headstone and second, Appell will also help with the sunken stone of historic tombstones so that they are safe from lawnmowers.”
ACT 13 monies are funds given to counties for Marcellus Shale Drilling permitting; although the Mifflin County has no known Marcellus Shale, a small amount of funds are still allocated to the county. These funds will pay for Appel to do the preservation work at Old Town Cemetery.
In other business Thursday, the board approved:
• Work statement No. 7 with Delta Development Group to extend the agreement for an additional twenty-four months for a fee of $4,000 per month.
• Open bids for a washer/dryer.
• Reappointment of Dan Dunmire, McVeytown, and Dan Taptich, Belleville, to the Mifflin County Hospital Authority for a five year term, expiring Dec. 31, 2027.
• Purchase of Service Agreement for use, if needed, Children and Youth, for services of Bobbie Rabuck, Esquire, of State College; Mark Remy, Esquire, of Lewistown, and Pathways Adolescent Center of Oil City.
• Application of County Aid 2022 Liquid Fuels Allocation to Granville Township in the amount of $6,118.
• Rescinded the hiring of Walter Cousins for Correctional Facility Counselor.
• Resignation of Phillip Callahan from part-time Sheriff Deputy effective Sept. 1, 2022.
• Hiring of part-time Corrections Officer Cohen Hensel effective Sept. 6, 2022.
• Hiring of part-time Corrections Officer Jay Boreman effective Sept. 7, 2022.
• Hiring of Brian Busko for Administrative Training and Security Officer effective Sept. 26, 2022.
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