Respecting the Past: Scouts Restore Dignity to Cemetery

The Weekly Sentinel

December 13, 2024

By Susan Gallagher, Staff Writer

When Loralee and Robert Schaedel moved into their York home in early July, they stepped through a portal to the past. The Robert Oliver House 1727, named for its Scottish-born original owner, not only enveloped them with classic New England charm; it echoed with lingering whispers of those who lived here before.

Loralee immediately felt the presence of her predecessors in the old farmhouse. “I knew there had to be ghosts in the home, since it was built so long ago,” she says, “but it isn’t a spooky feeling at all. The energy in the house is overwhelmingly light. These all feel like friendly, happy people.”

Schaedel sensed a vastly different mood when she first came upon the crumbling, neglected 1800s cemetery on the property. Here, a powerful aura of abandonment prevailed. She looked around in dismay at the unkept state of the plot that was the final resting place of 32 former residents. While the granite posts surrounding the cemetery were intact, the cast-iron rods once connecting them were either on the ground or bent. Many trees were wildly overgrown, and others blown down by a long-ago windstorm, resting their limbs wearily on the worn headstones. Most troubling were the many headstones that had tumbled over, dishonoring the deceased buried beneath.

Kneeling, Schaedel sadly swept aside the dead leaves obscuring the names on the markers. The dearly departed seemed to be crying out to her. She knew she must do something about this. “We’re going to bring back this cemetery to pristine condition,” she declared to herself and the nonliving who surrounded her.

But first, she hoped to find out more about who these people were. Her mind swirled with questions. Did they live on the property? What did they do? How did they sustain themselves? She was amazed to see that some lived into their eighties, an impressive feat for the 19th century.

Her search for answers led her to the York Historical Society, where researchers explained that the names on the headstones belong to members of two families: the Thompsons and the McIntires. They believe the cemetery to be the Thompson plot, and that the family patriarch, Josiah Thompson, Esq., may have been a judge. Reinforcing this notion, a desk Schaedel unearthed in the barn bears the inscription, “Judge’s Old Desk.” Answers to her remaining questions are lost in the passage of time, and rest with those who lie buried.

Schaedel was ready to forge ahead, but a surprise awaited her. Upon her next visit to the cemetery, she made a startling discovery. Brand new American flags fluttered proudly at three of the headstones, revealing that visitors had been there on July Fourth, and that there were veterans interred in the plot.

The presence of veterans further fueled Schaedel’s newfound mission. “The veterans and the history of the property propelled us forward,” she says. “We wanted to bring love and light back to these grounds by restoring them to what they once were. We wanted to honor our predecessors.”

A determined Schaedel reached out to Eric Bakke, Scoutmaster of Troop 301 in York, to see if the Boy Scouts might be interested in the project. Once he learned the plot included veterans’ remains, Bakke was all in. “We are always looking for service projects that impact the community,” he says. “Working with veterans’ groups is a big part of this.”

After visiting the cemetery with his 17-year-old son, Hans, an Eagle Scout candidate, Bakke determined the project was worthy of an Eagle Scout badge. This came as welcome news to Hans, whose goal is to join the ranks of the more than two million young men to receive the Boy Scouts of America’s highest rank since its first recipient in 1912.

“This was more than a service project,” Bakke says. “It entailed restoration work and had some historical significance.” The project was also in keeping with Scouting values that include good citizenship and outdoor skills. Once obtaining the approval of the Boy Scouts organization and the Town of York, which is the nonprofit beneficiary of the work, the Scouts were ready to move forward.

As part of his Eagle Scout requirements, Hans would take charge of managing both the Scouts and the adults involved in the endeavor. Some of the larger trees required adult chainsaw work before the boys could begin. The plan included clearing the overgrown trees and vegetation and carefully cleaning the stones. For a sentimental touch, the Scouts decided to build a bench for visitors to sit and reflect. They would also create a small path for easier access and place a marker to guide people to The Robert Oliver House’s Thompson Cemetery, which is open to the public.

On Saturday, November 16, the carefully planned restoration came to fruition. Active Scouts between the ages of 12 and 17 joined forces with older, aged-out Scouts and adult leaders, members of the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scouts of America’s honor society. After a long but satisfying day’s work, the tired Scouts proudly surveyed the finished product.

Overturned headstones stood righted, solemnly pronouncing who lay beneath. Fallen trees had gone to become firewood, renegade limbs were now tamed, and weeds were no more. Cast-iron rods once again carried out their duty of connecting the granite posts to fence in the graves. The new bench eagerly waited to welcome visitors. Dignity had returned to the Thompson plot.

Bakke is pleased to see the boys learning to appreciate history and to respect the past. He believes this experience puts things into perspective for them. "These people have been buried here for 200 years," he says. "The town of York was in its infancy when they dug the first grave."

“It makes them think about who these people might have been in the town,” he adds seriously. “They learn about history in school, but when they’re actually standing in this cemetery, seeing markers for people who served in past wars, it makes it real to them.”

Loralee Schaedel is thrilled with the restoration. “It was extremely important to me to honor the home, the property, and those buried here,” she says. “I am so excited that these young boys did this to honor those who served and came before us in this place so rich in history.”

She has a sense that those laid to rest here are saying a silent thank you. They can now truly rest in peace.