Graves Damaged In 1950sTo Be Repaired

Graves Damaged In 1950sTo Be Repaired

Tara Vocino Reporter TEMPLETON  After 15 gravestones were vandalized in the 1950s and which have been compromised by the weather since then, tombstones behind the First Church United Church of Christ the town has been working on restoring them, and hopes for funds to finish the job. Templeton’s first physician, Dr. Benjamin Shattuck, is buried there along with several families, some of which have up to 10 grave places on a single plot. The cemetery is located at 1 Wellington Road in Templeton Center. Cemetery and Parks Superintendent Alan T. Mayo is applying for a Massachusetts Preservation Project Funding grant, sponsored by the Massachusetts Historical Com­mission. Mayo is applying for $50,000 for the third phase of renovation, and Templeton will have to pay a little more than $50,000 since engineering costs are not eligible to be covered by the state. Three gravestones were completed during the first phase in 2012; six in the second phase in 2014; and there are six remaining graves that need restoration. Mayo commented on the current condition of the tombs, which were incorporated as a cemetery in 1754. They were built between 1800 and 1810. “Kids smashed all the stuff inside in the 1950s,” Mayo said. “They strewed the bones and stole body  parts. The weather also compromised them. The walls are leaning, but slowly, we’re fixing them.” Mayo said his office has a great respect for the dead, and he pointed out criminal penalties for cemetery vandalism. “Destruction of a burial space is punishable up to $1,000 per offense,” Mayo said. “That’s state law.” He said due to the vandalism, he couldn’t say who the others buried there were. “I do know they’re also prominent people since their families couldn’t afford the tombstones back then if they weren’t,” Mayo said. Today, First Church doesn’t have cameras to catch any modern-day vandals, but residents call him if they hear or see anything. There are four municipal graveyards in Templeton today. The application is due March 23. It will go through Town Meeting before the grant goes through.