McLean Cemetery celebrates 200 years

The McLean Cemetery Association is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its first burial. In recognition of this locally historic event, a presentation on the cemetery’s history will be given at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at McLean Community Church, 50 Church St.

On May 30, 1824, McLean resident Betsey Boynton died, and her husband, Abraham, chose a knoll in his apple orchard for her grave site. This orchard and adjacent land became the McLean Cemetery, and in 1870 the McLean Cemetery Association was formed.

Through the years, many dedicated their time and efforts to make the rolling hills that are unique to the McLean Cemetery a lovely and worthy final resting place for loved ones, and most have been lifelong residents of the little hamlet of McLean.

Currently, the association’s board of trustees is headed by Ron Beck, president; Kim LaMotte, vice president; and Kristie Gifford-Robinson, treasurer. Until very recently, Bob Fouts was the secretary. Although Fouts has retired from that position, he is still one of the nine members of the board. Karin LaMotte is the cemetery’s historian, but she was quick to give credit to Mike Totman as “the overall historian of all community history” and the former sexton of the cemetery.

“Several generations of our family members are buried here,” Karin said, “and about 20 years ago I started looking into genealogy and just sort of tiptoed into this whole thing. One thing leads to another to get to the facts.”

Karin and Kim are sisters. They own the Fall Creek Farm in Freeville, but they were raised in McLean by their parents, Bert and Nick. The sisters have been working on the chronological history of the cemetery since preparations for the bicentennial got underway in fall 2023, and they will give the presentation together on Oct. 5.

“I looked at the celebration they had 100 years ago,” Kim said. “It was a two-day event, with dinners and dances and an auction of donated items to fundraise.” Karin said that piqued her interest in doing something to commemorate 200 years.

Beck is also a lifelong resident. He grew up with his parents, Martin and Lorraine, who arrived here in 1920, and his brothers, Robert, Roger and Richard. Ron has been a member of the association for over 25 years, and its president since 2003.

“We usually meet two or three times a year, but we’ve been meeting a lot more this year preparing for the 200th anniversary,” Ron said. “It’s the job of the board to oversee maintenance and upkeep and finances, but the job of the sexton, who is Jamie Robinson, is to arrange all the lot sales and burials, which is our main source of income, along with donations.”

Ron further explained that the board decided to make upgrades and improvements in the cemetery to observe the bicentennial, as he proudly stood by the new outdoor display board which will provide cemetery information to visitors.

“The New York State Cemetery Board mandates the display of certain information accessible to the public,” Ron said. “It used to be just a poster on the mailbox, so we decided to do this, along with landscaping and an area for engraved commemorative pavers, which will be offered for purchase.”

The pavers will be brick red with black lettering. Pavers can memorialize loved ones, acknowledge veterans, name your business, honor a graduation or other special occasion or indicate your personal support of the cemetery. Cost is $150 per brick, including personalized engraving. Spacing on each brick allows for three lines.

“Our finances have been stretched, with trees coming down and needing to be removed, on top of the lawn mowing, which is also a big expense,” Ron said. “It costs about $8,000 to $10,000 a year for upkeep. In years past, we had many volunteers, but we don’t have as many anymore. We need the help, and we definitely need the financial support.”

For more information on purchasing a brick paver, contact mcleancemetery200@gmail.com, but do plan to attend the bicentennial celebration. Karin and Kim have much to share — and refreshments will be served!

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922. 

In brief:

Spaghetti dinner

Groton City Church, 47 Groton City Rd., will hold one of its famous spaghetti suppers Saturday, Oct. 12, from 4:30 p.m. until gone. The supper includes Herb’s delicious spaghetti, with meatballs or without, Mary’s famous salad, bread and butter, beverage and dessert. The church is handicapped accessible, and all are welcome. Cost is a free-will offering.

Adobe Lightroom for Beginners

Have you ever wanted to know how to edit your photographs, but don’t know where to start? Adobe Lightroom, a program that can manage and edit your images, has all of the tools you need to take your photographs to the next level. Lightroom is a powerful, easy-to-use alternative to the more complex Photoshop programs. Adrian Mitchell from Old Stage Photo would love to show you the ropes.

The course is sponsored by Groton Recreation and will meet on Monday, Oct. 21, and Wednesday, Oct. 23, in the Groton Jr./Sr. High School STEAM Lab, 400 Peru Rd. Cost is $65 per person and is for ages 15 and up. Register at Groton Recreation: Adobe Lightroom for Beginner (myrec.com), or contact recreation@grotonny.org  or 607-898-3966 for more information.

Flag retirement

As a service to the community, the Groton American Legion Carrington-Fuller Post No. 800 maintains a flag retirement drop box for the collection of flags that need to be retired. It is located to the immediate right of our front steps to the porch. Please feel free to deposit your worn-out flags in the box for proper disposal. This box is for flags only, so please do not deposit bags, boxes or flag sticks in the box. Those can be disposed of as normal trash or recycling. Retired flags are destroyed by burning in a dignified and respectful ceremony, as befits the symbol of our great nation.