Several area historical markers are scheduled to be cleaned April 25 to 27 as part of the National Historic Marker Weekend.
According to a news release from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, the event has been expanded from the last Friday in April to the last weekend in April to celebrate the fifth year.
The day is an annual service event that encourages volunteers of all ages to help beautify their communities and learn about local history by cleaning historical markers, the release stated.
Participation is open to the public and several local historical societies and individuals have signed up to participate in the event, the foundation’s website said.
Kimberly Young, Conesville town historian, said in an email Friday that this will be the third year the Conesville Historical Society will participate in the event. The town has four historical markers including one from the Pomeroy Foundation.
Young said she didn’t know about the program until they received the historical marker from the foundation and started getting “information about the other things they do to support history in the community. And I was like this seems like a cool event because it helps us keep up with the condition of our historical markers and we can help prevent further issues through a nice cleaning each spring. It also draws attention to the fact that we have historical markers in town and hopefully will bring more people to come check them out.”
Anyone who wants to help clean the markers is asked to meet at 6:30 p.m. April 25 at the Conesville Town Park, she said. From there, volunteers will disperse to the four markers. Depending on the number of volunteers, other markers may also be cleaned that day. According to the Facebook post, cleaning supplies will be available, however, volunteers may bring warm water, toothbrushes, soft cloths and gloves.
According to the website, other organizations and individuals participating in the event are the Oneonta Chapter NSDAR, Pathfinder Village, Capt. Christian Brown Chapter NSDAR, Cobleskill, Scott Payne of Deposit and the Chenango County Historical Society & Museum in Norwich.
Samantha Parry, Day Hab manager for Shafer and Millcreek at Pathfinder Village, said last year when she was site supervisor for Shafer, she signed up to volunteer. It was the first year they participated in the event and everyone enjoyed volunteering, had fun and learned a little bit of history, so they expanded it this year. She said they will clean one monument in Burlington, the marker at Pathfinder Village, and one or two markers in Edmeston, and maybe the monument in Edmeston.
The Chenango County Historical Society announced in a news release as part of marker day, it will host a special unveiling of recently refurbished “special edition” marker at Rogers Environmental Education Center at 10:45 a.m. on April 25. A rarity among historic markers, especially in locations outside the Adirondack Park, the “Game Farm” plaque is situated roadside along Route 80 in the town of Sherburne.
Kimberley Lindsley, a member of the Oneonta Chapter NSDAR, said their members “take great pride” in recognizing history especially Revolutionary War history and the monuments and markers that tell the stories of the past. She said that the chapter will discuss which markers they would be cleaning at their meeting Saturday.
Payne said via Facebook Messenger Friday afternoon that he would be cleaning “The Castle” Oneida Indian Fort on East River Road in Norwich where Oneida Councils were held until 1790. “I volunteer to clean and maintain historical markers as a way of keeping history alive,” he said. “These markers are more than just painted pieces of metal along side the road. They represent people, places and events that shaped our American history. Although I am interested in American history in general, I am specifically interested in Revolutionary War history in New York state and (Haudenosaunee) Iroquois history as well.”
The national event is free and open to the public, the release stated. Volunteers should sign up through the Pomeroy Foundation’s National Historic Marker Weekend webpage: https://tinyurl.com/d4zen83a.
Volunteers are invited to participate in a social media photo challenge as part of this year’s event. Registered volunteers can participate in any of the following Marker Weekend Photo Challenge categories: most historical markers cleaned, most Pomeroy Markers cleaned, best before and after photos, team with the most volunteers, team spirit (e.g. fun and festive group projects), community spirit (e.g. communitywide celebrations and events) and most liked Marker Weekend social media post. The complete guidelines for the photo challenge are available on the Pomeroy Foundation’s website: https://tinyurl.com/d4zen83a.
According to The Historical Marker Database, there are more than 210,000 markers in the U.S. Regular care and maintenance are key for helping to prevent deterioration so that markers can be enjoyed now and by future generations, the release stated. To locate markers in your area, go to HMdb.org or the Pomeroy Foundation’s marker map: https://tinyurl.com/585r9y5c. Volunteers should comply with safety and parking regulations, as well as seek permission when making plans to clean a marker.