On June 3, six hearty souls braving the drizzle and the cool temperatures gathered behind the church to begin cleaning up the gravestones. Work in this cemetery is going to take several Saturday mornings, 9 to 12, on July 15, July 24, and August 12, under the direction of Lance Ford and Susan Huntoon, Cilleyville residents. 

If you would like to join us, come for part or all of the morning work session. The more the merrier! It would be helpful if you would bring a soft scrub brush (no wire brush), a spray bottle of water, a plastic snow scraper for getting lichen off the stones, and a pail for dipping the brush into water while cleaning.

This cemetery, known as the Old North Church cemetery, was given to the Town of Andover by Charles Hilton, in a deed dated March 5, 1805, which reserved some space for his family and the Tucker family. (This reservation may indicate that the cemetery was already in use, as Charles Hilton’s mother, who died in 1794, and Samuel Tucker, who died in 1802, are buried in the graveyard.)  

The cemetery is less than a half-acre in size.  The gravestones are mostly placed in north-south rows, with the monuments facing toward the highway.  Most of the grave markers are marble and slate slabs and vary from plain to fancy. 

The cemetery contains some 260+ souls.  It was mostly filled by 1863, when another cemetery was established in East Andover. (This information obtained from the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the East Andover Village Center Historic District. 1989.)

Thank you to the Andover Community Church who allowed us access to water and bathrooms at the Grange Hall. We would love to have anyone join us as we clean up and restore the many gravestones.  Please mark your calendars and bring your brush.  For questions, contact Cheryl Swenson, at cheryl.swenson@nulltds.net.