Spring has finally arrived! Most of the winter I did not visit Oak Hill, but instead worked at home and at the library creating and editing Find a Grave memorials, and making "Virtual Cemeteries" of various veterans groups, and groups of immigrants. When I did visit the cemetery it usually was to either check with the office for plots for newer burials, or to see how the interior work on the chapel is coming.
Inside the chapel things are coming together. Electrical work, lighting, plastering, floor and wainscotting refinishing, and most obviously the restored stained glass is finished. This plus the exterior masonry work and landscaping represents thousands of hours of volunteer effort. There is more to do, sealing sills, installing the original organ and new wooden folding chairs, and hanging the new heavy wooden doors. The plan is to have it all finished for a gala public open house on June 2nd, 2018. Richard Snyder and Jerry Jass from the Friends of Oak Hill Chapel spoke with Tim Bremel on local radio station WCLO earlier this week about progress at the chapel, and what is left to accomplish, and about the upcoming open house. I also spoke about tours of the cemetery.
On May 12th, the chapel will be the site of the spring meeting of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Association for Gravestone Studies. Richard Snyder will tell the group about the stained glass window restoration project, and Evan McAllister will give a lecture. Then I am leading a tour of some of the older areas of the cemetery, focusing on interesting monuments and headstones, and people out-of-towners might know, such as the Cargill family, Edward Whiton (first chief justice of the Wis. Supreme Court), and the family of Carrie Jacobs Bond. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for good weather that day.
As for me leading tours this summer, it remains to be seen. I have been experiencing serious health issues, and need to wait and see how my health is before I commit to new public tours. I still plan to work on Find a Grave, and to publish some ideas for walks people can take on their own here in this blog. And it is possible that I might lead a couple new tours. I hope I can.
