LIBERTY — The British statesman Sir William Gladstone once said, “show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high deeds.”

When Gene and Julie Burns walked into the Old Liberty Cemetery one afternoon last spring, they wondered where it went. “The area was completely covered with brush,” Gene said. “You couldn't even see most of the headstones … it was that bad.”

The Burns had first become interested in the oldest of Liberty's five cemeteries after they started researching genealogy. Both of their families have ancestors buried there going back over a century and the cemetery itself dates back to 1811.

Some monuments bear familiar names of families that have streets in Liberty named after them.

“You look around here and it's a who's who of Liberty's settlers … you see Grants and Youngs. They're the people who built this town,” said Gene.

When the Burns first visited the cemetery to track down some of their own ancestors, they were disheartened by its dilapidated state. That's when they decided to take matters into their own hands. They went before the Liberty Town Board and got permission to start clearing the brush.

The Liberty High School chapter of National Honor Society, along with their school advisor Cindy Nolan, volunteered their time to help clear the property and clean gravestones, some of which had become illegible. The names of the people buried beneath them and the dates during which they lived were under decades-old layers of dirt and lichen.

With the help of Marianne Greenfield of Gravestone Cleaning Service in Delhi, students were instructed on the proper use of D/2 biological solution, which is used by the National Park Service to clean gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg.

According to Greenfield, you should never use bleach, Dawn or other household cleaners on gravestones because they can cause delamination and ultimately lead to crumbling.

“It's inspiring to see the young people do have an interest,” said Julie. “We'd like to reach out to any local people who may have ancestors buried there because they might have interest in helping to keep the cemetery up.”

The work to restore this historic ground to some of its former glory didn't stop with clearing brush and cleaning the stones. Elton Harris of Harris Funeral Home in Liberty has been working in the old cemetery, as well as the veterans section, to repair gravestones that have fallen over.

“We repaired one stone and righted four of the big stones which weigh five or six hundred pounds each,” Gene reported to the town board in September. “We're making progress. It's going to be a long time before we get them all up because it looks like someone went in there and just tipped them over. It's not something that the frost, snow or wind will do ... It's straight vandalism.”

Restoration efforts over the past year have led to an unexpected discovery. The Burns' neighbor, Patrick Killian, is a teacher at Orange County BOCES. He teaches students how to dowse for underground cables. Through his dowsing techniques, Killian was able to walk through the oldest part of the Liberty Cemetery and discover approximately 400 unmarked graves.

“Nobody has any idea who they were or when they were buried,” Gene said. The lack of markings suggest the site could have been a pauper's grave - a place where indigent individuals were laid to rest. Gene expressed interest in finding funds from somewhere to place a permanent marker on the site to inform people about what lies beneath the ground.

Before restoration efforts slow down for the winter, Supervisor Brian Rourke and the Town of Liberty have secured a donation of services to remove two large and decaying trees that lean precariously over the property.

“We're very thankful to them [Gene and Julie Burns] for spearheading the project,” said Supervisor Rourke. “We've arranged for a donation from a local contractor to take care of the trees. The cemetery is a historical treasure for the Town and it should receive more attention. We're encouraging volunteers to step up and help with it.”

Rob Ackerley and Jim Dennis from the Knights of Columbus also helped with clearing brush and fixing stones.

Anyone interested in volunteering or making a donation should contact Julie Burns through the Spirit of Liberty, or visit spiritoflibertyweb.wordpress.com.