Save Vermont's Oldest Jewish Cemetery!
Donation protected
The East Poultney Jewish Cemetery is the oldest known Jewish cemetery in the State of Vermont. First purchased by the Poultney Jewish community in 1873, the Jewish cemetery marks the burial place of Vermont's first Jews and is a testimony to their strength, perseverance, and devotion to their faith. Sadly this historic and religious site has been forgotten by its neighbors and community with many Vermonters not knowing of its existence. The Jewish Cemetery itself houses around 83 headstones, about half of which date from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. The conditions of the stones range, with the worst lying broken on the ground in total disrepair, almost completely worn and encrusted that their Hebrew inscriptions are illegible.
It is our responsibility to maintain and preserve the history and legacy of these great pioneers. My mission is to save, restore, and preserve Vermont’s oldest Jewish Cemetery. Through the course of this project, I plan to have the most endangered and damaged stones (which number between 25-35) reset, reinforced, repaired, and cleaned by Bowker and Sons Memorials—a 100-year-old family-owned cemetery restoration business out of West Rutland, Vermont. The rest of the headstones require far less work and may be able to be cleaned by volunteers. Doing so would save money and help the process go faster. I have met with the head manager of Bowker and Sons Memorials at the Poultney Jewish Cemetery to discuss the project and gain a better sense of the cost and time required to complete the restoration in its entirety. This is the plan we formed.
Project Plan-
-To fully restore the roughly 83 Jewish headstones, Bowker and Sons Memorials has agreed to do the work for the reduced price of $15,000 (this would include everything from simple scrubbing down of newer headstones to full resetting work with new foundations and reconstruction of broken or fragmented headstones).
-I have conferred with the Poultney Town Manager in regards to this project and have gained the Town’s full support! They are extremely thankful that someone is coming in to save such a historic site and explained that due to a lack of funds and a need to maintain numerous cemeteries in their town they have never been able to give the Jewish cemetery the attention it needs and deserves.
-During the course of this project, I will also be working to apply for a State Historic Marker to be placed at the entrance of the cemetery so that its historic nature and the legacies of all those interred there will be preserved in perpetuity.
Project Stats-
-Oldest Jewish Cemetery purchased in 1873
-First stone laid in 1874
-Poultney had the first Jewish community in Vermont
-First Jewish synagogue in Vermont established in East Poultney
East Poultney in 1873.
Additional Pictures-
It is our responsibility to maintain and preserve the history and legacy of these great pioneers. My mission is to save, restore, and preserve Vermont’s oldest Jewish Cemetery. Through the course of this project, I plan to have the most endangered and damaged stones (which number between 25-35) reset, reinforced, repaired, and cleaned by Bowker and Sons Memorials—a 100-year-old family-owned cemetery restoration business out of West Rutland, Vermont. The rest of the headstones require far less work and may be able to be cleaned by volunteers. Doing so would save money and help the process go faster. I have met with the head manager of Bowker and Sons Memorials at the Poultney Jewish Cemetery to discuss the project and gain a better sense of the cost and time required to complete the restoration in its entirety. This is the plan we formed.
Project Plan-
-To fully restore the roughly 83 Jewish headstones, Bowker and Sons Memorials has agreed to do the work for the reduced price of $15,000 (this would include everything from simple scrubbing down of newer headstones to full resetting work with new foundations and reconstruction of broken or fragmented headstones).
-I have conferred with the Poultney Town Manager in regards to this project and have gained the Town’s full support! They are extremely thankful that someone is coming in to save such a historic site and explained that due to a lack of funds and a need to maintain numerous cemeteries in their town they have never been able to give the Jewish cemetery the attention it needs and deserves.
-During the course of this project, I will also be working to apply for a State Historic Marker to be placed at the entrance of the cemetery so that its historic nature and the legacies of all those interred there will be preserved in perpetuity.
Project Stats-
-Oldest Jewish Cemetery purchased in 1873
-First stone laid in 1874
-Poultney had the first Jewish community in Vermont
-First Jewish synagogue in Vermont established in East Poultney
East Poultney in 1873.
Additional Pictures-
Organizer
Netanel Crispe
Organizer
Poultney, VT