our non-profit celebrates our 31st anniversary!
welcome &
mission statement
Welcome to the website for the Walker-Blake Graveyard Restoration Project, Inc., (WBGRP) which is a non-profit 501(C)(3) corporation in Massachusetts. We were founded in 1995.
Our mission:
For the benefit of future generations, to preserve the graveyard using various restoration techniques and to protect the graveyard from further vandalism.
In the 1970s Vincent became interested in early American gravestone carving. Over the next 50 years he wrote many articles, gave lectures and authored two books: Mallet and Chisel, a history of stonecarving in Newport, RI and In Death Remembered, a history of the Taunton River stonecarvers. He was nationally respected for his research and knowledge of early gravestone carvers.
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Vincent was a good friend to Walker-Blake Graveyard. He identified many of gravestone carvers on our markers. He gave me digital copies of Walker-Blake gravestones that he had taken over the years. Vince helped me sort out the extended Nathan Walker family that was reinterned at the Dighton Church cemetery.
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Most of all, I will miss his encouragement and kind thoughts on saving the Walker-Blake Graveyard. He seemed to always have a smile on his face!
We have lost a dear friend!
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November 14, 2024 Our non-profit was informed of a $3,310.0 Community Grant Award from the Taunton River Stewardship Council (TRSC). We are very grateful for this grant award. This award will assist with funding restoration work that was completed in September 2024. The Walker-Blake Graveyard Restoration Project, Inc. (WBGRP) contracted with Fannin-Lehner Preservation Consultants to perform various restoration procedures on seven gravestone markers in the graveyard. The Fannins secured a limited burial ground conservation permit from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. They did an on-site review of the graveyard to determine what gravestones need to be conserved. They took “Before” photos of all the selected gravestones. They performed appropriate conservation procedures on the gravestones for the project. Seven markers were excavated, cleaned and reset in the proper location. Two of the markers needed cement “infill” on the top of the marker to keep out water. The William Marble d. Oct 20,1866 marker required the most amount of work. This marker was in fragments and needed to be drilled, pinned, and glued with adhesive. A report of the conservation performed will be provided in a two-page form for each stone containing “Before” and “After” photographs and a detailed description of the processes employed in the e conservation . We will receive this report in the first quarter of 2025 plus the final invoice for the work. A copy of this report is also submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Thank you Taunton River Stewardship Council for all your support!
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To visit the graveyard, your name must be on the TMLP Visitors List prior to your visit.
For more information, please
For many years I have researched our family history. The research brought me to Taunton, Massachusetts in 1988. At the Old Colony Historical Society I found information on ancestors who had lived in Taunton and where they were buried. With a copy of the Daughters of the American Revolution compilation of the "Eleven Cemeteries in Taunton", I visited the cemeteries of our ancestors. The Walker-Blake Graveyard is located in a remote area. The cemetery is situated on a rise that overlooks the Taunton River. A stone wall creates a border on all its’ four sides.
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