Gravestone repair sessions to be held at historic Berks graveyard

Apr. 23—Her name was Hannah, but little else is known about the enslaved woman, whose remains lie buried in the Kemp family graveyard.

The burial place in Maxatawny Township is one of more than an estimated 300 in Berks County. About 120 retain some visible surface evidence and are maintained by the Berks County Association for Graveyard Preservation.

References to Hannah are found in surviving census and tax records, said Lara Thomas, secretary of the all-volunteer organization. Hannah was appraised at $60 in a 1786 tax valuation of property owned by George L. Kemp, an innkeeper, farmer and captain in the 2nd Battalion, Berks Militia during the American Revolutionary War.

After Hannah's death, her remains were interred in the family burial ground in Maxatawny Township, according to a story in the September 28, 1930, edition of the Reading Eagle, Thomas said.

The final resting place of Hannah and her enslaver, along with many of his descendants will receive some tender loving care Saturday and Sunday.

Members and volunteers of BCAGP will gather at the graveyard both days to work on repairing the existing gravestones under the guidance of professional conservator Robert Mosko of Mosko Cemetery Monument Services.

Hannah's name cannot be found on any of the remaining grave markers, Thomas noted, and the exact location of her grave is not known. During an earlier cleanup at the site, she said, volunteers identified four graves marked with simple fieldstones.

"Any one of these could be Hannah's, or she might be buried in an unmarked grave," she said.

A new memorial stone or other marker for Hannah is in the works.

The aged carved stones marking the graves of others buried within the fenced plot have suffered the ravages of time and the elements. Some are cracked or eroded. Others have sunk into the earth, tilted or fallen completely.

Thomas and Karla Hummel, second vice president of BCAGP, wanted to learn what to do about these and the gravestones found in other BCAGP-maintained burial grounds.

They met Mosko of Hanover, York County, while attending an instructional series on gravestone preservation.

When they told him about the Kemp Cemetery, which had been threatened by warehouse development, he offered some help and training sessions at a reduced cost, said Les Rohrbach, BCAGP president.

Impressed by the organization's dedicated volunteers and mission to preserve and protect Berks County's historic graveyards, Mosko again offered his assistance, Rohrbach said.

The goal is to start at the Kemp graveyard to finish repair work previously begun on the remaining tombstones and monuments, Thomas said.

"As progress allows, we will be moving onto other cemeteries including the Kirby (graveyard) in Maxatawny and the Keim family cemetery in Pike Township," Thomas said.

Volunteers who would like to participate and learn more about tombstone repair are welcome.

If you go

What: Berks County Association for Graveyard Preservation Gravestone repair and instruction session.

When: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.

Where: Kemp family graveyard, 4 Hilltop Road, Kutztown (GPS 40.53583° N, 75.74999° W). Note: This is the address closest to the burial ground, which is in a field.

Information:www.bcagp.org/.