A group clears Cummings Cemetery in Greenwood in the rain on June 17. Submitted photo
GREENWOOD — A small troop of hardy souls cleared Cummings Cemetery on Greenwood Road in the pouring rain June 17. The cemetery was destroyed by loggers in the 1970s and is being restored by Cummings’ descendants: Sue Nusbaum, Stephanie Burke and others. The plot is across from the town beach.
Besides Burke and Nusbaum, also there to help were Bob Nusbaum, Master of Bethel Masonic Lodge Bill McAloney, and his brother, Clayton Bartlett. They are both dual members of Jefferson Lodge (as was Joseph Cummings III who was a full member there).
On the day of the clean-up, Stephanie Burke, descendant of Joseph Cummings; Harry G. Orcutt, Commander American Legion Post 68, and Sue Nusbaum placed the third U.S. veteran’s flag holder and flag to honor Joseph Cummings Senior for his Revolutionary war service. This had not been previously documented.
The restoration project was started a few years ago, by Nusbaum, who while researching her family history discovered she has direct descendants in the Cummings Plot.Nusbaum has enlisted the support of Greenwood Town Manager Kim Sparks, Orcutt, Blaine Mills of Locke’s Mills and others to help with the project.
She has hired Bob Perry to do ground penetrating radar on July 7.
Orchestrating from her home in Phippsburg, Nusbaum has asked for help obtaining photograph and other documents, too. She has made a special plea to members of the Cummings Family for help with funding.
Nusbaum plans to start a Go-Fund-me page for the restoration project. The costs of clearing the cemetery and locating the graves is roughly $3320. The cost of erecting the three gravestones provided by the Veteran’s Administration, is $1200. There may be other costs like putting boulders along the cemetery boundaries, celebration expenses, etc., said Nusbaum.
Buried in the cemetery are three war veterans: Joseph Cummings; Joseph Cummings Sr., and Joseph Cummings Jr. Two of their wives, both named Ruth, and a baby named Wellington are believed to be buried there as well. (See Bethel Citizen story published April 20).
Said Orcutt, “I hope July 7th is bright and sunny and that we solve the mystery at last of where the six Cummings graves are situated. Blaine [Mills] thought they might be located between two large trees. The tree Clayton cut up with his chainsaw, shows a tree that appeared to be growing out of what was once a much larger tree. I think that’s a good place to begin the Ground Penetrating Radar search.”
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