About CGN

Organized in 1995, the Connecticut Gravestone Network’s purpose is to educate the public on the importance of old graveyards and cemeteries in our history. It also promotes an appreciation for gravestone carving respected for the valuable art form that it is.

CGN was conceived through an effort of the Association for Gravestone Studies members and concerned individuals who wanted to bring to Connecticut an opportunity to unify and support those who are working to preserve a historical resource.

CGN members are encouraged to provide the organization with information about ongoing projects including preservation, recording, photographing, carver identification research, vandalism and any other cemetery related issues or news.

CGN’s mission is to provide a resource for sharing information about Connecticut gravestones among individuals working in the gravestone study field, thereby saving time and avoiding duplication of efforts. It also supplies education to the general public on the importance of protecting our old graveyards using burial grounds as a teaching tool, as well as developing programs to do this work.

CGN has established coordination with the Connecticut State Library, the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office, and the Connecticut Office of the State Archaeologist with the mutual goal of documenting and preserving the state’s historic burial grounds.

CGN advocates that documentation of old graveyards, whether past or present, should be filed in respective community historical societies and libraries, the State Library, and the Connecticut Historical Commission.

CGN also advocates that these records should be used along with other resources (such as the Hale Collection retained at the Connecticut State Library) to update inventories in the hopes of accounting for and locating lost markers. Now that computers are pervasive, we encourage the use of a database to facilitate better records throughout the state.

CGN also advocates low-tech maintenance and cleaning procedures, when called for, and would appreciate assistance to compile a list of monument dealers, conservators, restoration professionals, legal advisors, and other pertinent contacts with whom we may work.