Students uncover rewards of getting the dirt

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Students dig in the center of the UAME Church, part of a partnership between the Chester County Intermediate Unit and The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County.

The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County (TLC) is helping area students to dig into the community’s heritage so it can be preserved for future generations.

Students begin digging around a stone believed to be a headstone of one of the residents laid to rest in the cemetery.
Students begin digging around a stone believed to be a headstone of one of the residents laid to rest in the Bucktoe Cemetery.

TLC is more than halfway through its summer restoration and archaeological program with the Chester County Intermediate Unit’s (CCIU) Migrant Education Program. Through funding from CCRES and the Sara Bowers Fund, 24 students have been assisting TLC in the excavation and restoration of Bucktoe Cemetery and the original New Garden Memorial UAME Church foundation. Students have learned about the historical importance of the Kennett area as well as proper practices for archaeology and restoration, according to a TLC press release.

This is TLC’s third year working with CCIU’s Migrant Education Program on this project, which teaches the students about the history that surrounds them and the importance of protecting it. With assistance from Eugene Hough, a restoration specialist, and in partnership with New Garden Memorial UAME Church, TLC has been able to provide the students with hands-on experiences, the release said.

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TLC Preservation Coordinator Abbie Kessler (right) helps the students search the soil for any church remnants, such as window glass.

Historic Bucktoe Cemetery is the final resting place of nine African American Civil War soldiers and approximately 120 other residents from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The cemetery and church site is owned by the New Garden Memorial UAME Church, which began on the site. The church burned in 1904, and the congregation moved to its current location on Linden Street in Kennett Square. As a contributing property to Red Clay Creek’s proposed Historic District, Bucktoe Cemetery is a place that deserves recognition and proper restoration for its historical importance, the release said.

TLC partnered with New Garden Memorial UAME Church in 2010 to begin the restoration of the cemetery, and in 2014 TLC was able to work with CCIU for the first time to bring students to the site to learn about and assist with the project.

Working recently on the front foundation and in the center of the church, the students have been excited to use their newly acquired excavation techniques to uncover pieces of window glass, cut nails, and mortar that held the church walls together. Participating students have also helped find multiple stones in the cemetery believed to be the headstones of previous Kennett area residents, the release said.

Students have also enjoyed hiking through the adjacent woods, which revealed the remains of the deacon’s house and well. The remaining weeks of the program will focus on continuing important practices, such as documentation of the items uncovered thus far, measuring the original church site, and working on a final presentation to the students’ parents on all the hard work they have been doing, according to the release.

“Working with students that exhibit such positive energy and commitment to the project gives TLC great hope that this passion for preservation will carry on to others and to future generations,” said Abbie Kessler, TLC’s preservation coordinator.

 TLC was formed in August 1995 by a group of concerned citizens as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization aimed at ensuring the perpetual preservation and stewardship of open space, natural resources, historic sites, and working agricultural lands throughout Southern Chester County. As of 2016, TLC has preserved approximately 850 acres of land, through purchases and conservation easements, according to its website. For more information, visit http://tlcforscc.org.

 

 

IMG_1839: On the first day, students were shown a picture then asked to redraw the image from memory.

 

IMG_4480: Preservation Coordinator Abbie Kessler (right) helps the students search the soil for any church remnants. Items such as window glass, mortar, and a nail have been recovered.

 

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