The Agawam Historical Association is excited to welcome master stone carver and gravestone conservator Randall Nelson to the historic Thomas Smith House. Nelson has recently replicated badly deteriorated gravestones of Revolutionary War veterans to replace the original stones in Hartford’s Ancient Burying Ground, the Old Durham Cemetery in Durham, Connecticut, and East Haddam, Connecticut’s Riverview Cemetery.
He is currently carving a dedication marker for Agawam’s Liberty Tree, which the association dedicated earlier this Spring. Nelson will carve the last line of the marker on-site during the event and install the stone on the grounds upon completion. Visitors will witness Nelson’s carving firsthand and have the opportunity to speak directly with the artist.
Nelson’s sculptural restoration business, Nelson Architectural Restoration, specializes in the preservation of building facades, monuments, and statuary. The business has completed hundreds of decorative stone and terra cotta projects, repairing monuments and buildings in New England and across the country, including the brownstone Soldiers and Sailors Arch in Hartford’s Bushnell Park, the famous brownstone McClellan Gate at Arlington National Cemetery, and several restoration projects for the City of Savannah, Georgia. A graduate of Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute and the Vermont College for the Arts, and a working artist for more than 30 years, Nelson is presently vice president of the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor.
The ca. 1757 Thomas Smith House and 1920 Delmore Hawthorne Garage will also be open for tours.
On display will be items to be included in a time capsule the association will seal later this year, not to be opened again for another century. Visitors are encouraged to provide letters to future Agawam residents describing 21st century life for inclusion in the time capsule. Brochures and business cards from local businesses are also wanted.
New, hand-crafted Cats Meow Village keepsakes depicting the Thomas Smith House and the Agawam Historical & Fire House Museum have just arrived and will be available for sale to benefit the Agawam Historical Association.