BY JOSH DAVISNorth Country This Week

CANTON— A historic Canton cemetery  will receive essential maintenance and cleanup through a Clarkson ROTC service program. 

Canton Historian Casey Denis reported at the Oct. 15 meeting of the village board that his office received a general offer for cemetery cleanup from Tanner Castillo, a Cadet with Clarkson University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps. 

Village officials and Denis agreed that the old Canton cemetery located on Miner Street Road and West Street  should be a priority for cleanup.  

Officials noted that the cemetery grounds are in need of attention and also discussed the possibility of removing or repairing a damaged gate at the historic cemetery, which is the burial place of Canton resident and U.S. Senator Silas Wright. 

Village Mayor Michael Dalton voiced the village’s support for the cemetery cleanup, which in this case will comprise mostly of brush pickup and tree maintenance. Castillo, who appeared via Zoom, said that he would be able to gather equipment such as rakes that could be used during the project while home on break from school. He added that he plans to make a visit to the cemetery to identify what else might be needed to complete the work. 

Castillo said he wouldn’t need any support from the village aside from its approval to take the project on. 

While an offer was made to clean some of the headstones at the cemetery, Denis noted that any such cleaning should be delayed until spring, as the chemicals used for cleaning the markers are more effective when exposed to sunlight. Proper headstone cleaning is a specialized process and in some cases requires professional expertise to avoid damaging the marker in the process. 

Denis said he has been looking for grants available to fund restoration efforts at the cemetery but noted that the ROTC service project would provide immediate improvement to the cemetery’s condition. 

Canton Deputy Mayor Anna Sorensen also expressed appreciation for Castillo’s efforts, saying the village is grateful for people who want to do community service projects. 

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