ALLENTOWN – A burial ground in Allentown that municipal officials have called “a tangible reminder of the early settlement of this village and its role during the American Revolution” is scheduled to be renovated and upgraded during 2018.
The Old Burial Ground, also known as the Lakeview Cemetery on Lakeview Drive, is one of the most important sites in Allentown, according to borough officials, who said, “those of us who call this place home bear the responsibility to continue the stewardship of such historic treasures … that help tell the story of how Allentown became the place we know today.”
The project grew from the intention to identify a way to respect the legacy of Mary Clark and Elizabeth (Betsy) Poinsett, according to municipal officials, who said the project is “designed to respect our historic resources, to establish an opportunity for historic stewardship and to demonstrate what ‘civic engagement’ looks like.”
Clark and Poinsett shared a commitment to historic preservation and contributed to Allentown in other ways as well; Clark in the governance of the borough and Poinsett as an advocate for the community’s natural environs, according to municipal officials, who said “it is the legacy of their civic engagement that this project is intended to honor.”
There are three components to the Lakeview Cemetery project:
• First, using volunteers partnering with the borough, the cemetery site will be renovated in a style that will evoke its early 18th century roots;
• Second, the project will be funded by a combination of fundraising efforts seeded with a gift to The Allentown Village Initiative from the Allentown-Upper Freehold Historical Society designated for the cemetery;
• Third, the landscape plan for the cemetery includes signs sharing the history of the cemetery and the evolution of the project. The signs are envisaged to be the beginning of a system of interpretive signs throughout the historic district that will highlight important sites and events.
Municipal officials said a plan has been created and the site has been cleaned and prepared for improvements. During the next six to nine months, the following is expected to occur:
• Late 2017 and early 2018: Crew digs post holes; installation of fence posts and fence; oyster/clam shells at two entry ways; re-pointing and repair of crypt
• Spring 2018: Re-seed around the cemetery; plantings; cleaning headstones; site identification sign
• Fall 2018: Signs – interpretive signs with history, setting, etc.; monument; seating.
