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Date: 10/30/2023
WARE — The Friends of Quabbin President Gene Theroux accepted a $5,000 check on behalf of his organization for the construction of a plaque commemorating the 41 American Revolution veterans at Quabbin Park Cemetery.
The check was a representation of the funds given by the state in the fiscal year 2024 budget and was presented by state Sen. Jacob Oliveira (D-Ludlow) during a ceremony at Quabbin Park Cemetery on Oct. 27.
The funds will be used to purchase a granite slab to mount the commemorative bronze plaque while the plaque itself will be funded by the Sons of the American Revolution, Theroux said.
He explained that the ceremony and bronze plaque are the part of the organization’s early celebration for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution on July 4, 2026. While the official celebration won’t begin until Memorial Day in 2024, he stated that the organization wanted to mount the plaque earlier so it would be publicly visible for the celebration.
The project first began after the Friends of Quabbin began to investigate poor cemetery maintenance by the Department of Conservation and Recreation in 2017. The organization was then given permission to assist with maintenance, such as cleaning headstones and preserving records, according to the organization’s newsletter. Soon after they began to work with the Sons of the American Revolution to organize the placement of the new American Revolution plaque.
“This place [Quabbin Park Cemetery] is very dear to me,” Theroux said, stating that 108 of his ancestors are buried at the cemetery. He described his work to ensure veterans have proper recognition, including personally cleaning more than 4,000 headstones and teaching others how to best restore them.
Following the Oct. 27 ceremony, the organization now must wait for the bronze plaque to be constructed. It was originally intended to be fully installed by May 26, 2024 for the Memorial Day ceremony. However, due to delays, the plaque likely won’t be placed until October, Theroux stated.
Despite this, Theroux still emphasized his thankfulness for the project finally moving forward. He ended the ceremony by thanking all participants for their work to commemorate the American Revolution veterans.