Carvers
Carvers
Backrounds of the Gravestone Carvers
Backrounds of the Gravestone Carvers
Carvers
Backrounds of the Gravestone Carvers
our non-profit celebrates our 30th 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.
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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Prior to Memorial Day, the Veterans Memorial Marker Committee placed American flags next to Veteran gravestones in the Walker-Blake Graveyard! A wonderful way to pay respect and remember those who have served our country. Peter W. Thomson is Taunton’s veteran’s graves officer. Peter co-ordinates the placing American flags next to nearly 7,000 headstones in Taunton.
The flags are placed on graves going back to the Revolutionary War. Of course, there are other soldiers buried here who were members of the Militia. In the seventeenth century, any male between the ages of 16 and 65 where members of the town Militia.
In Taunton there are 62 cemeteries that have Veterans buried in them. Some are as small as one or two burials in a backyard. Some of the cemeteries are very large like St. Joseph’s and Mayflower Hill.
Peter who is an Iraq War Veteran enlists the help of volunteers from various groups and some individual people. Some of the groups are Boy and Girl Scouts and Veteran groups.
The flags are placed in a circular aluminum marker with a hole in it to support the flag. The aluminum markers feature a wreath design with the words “Veteran, Armed Forces, United States”.
As you walk around the graveyard, pause and reflect on those who have served in the armed services and in some cases paid the ultimate price.
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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