Historic Riverside Cemetery in Apalachin, located on Marshland Road and dating back to 1802, received a welcome adornment for its grounds on June 20.
Family, friends, fellow scouts and cemetery representatives gathered at the cemetery to support Dan Liberty, a Boy Scout from Troop 32 as his new bench, an Eagle Scout service project, was placed adjacent to a flower and monument garden, and near the cemetery’s east side entrance.
Riverside Cemetery was also the recent recipient of a revamped garden accomplished by two Apalachin Girl Scouts working toward their Silver Awards. Other landscaping improvements include a fence that was installed last year by the cemetery.
The bench project will award Dan Liberty, who will be a senior this fall at Owego Free Academy, the prestigious achievement of Eagle Scout.
Pictured, seated, is Dan Liberty, a Boy Scout from Troop 32 and his grandfather, Robert Liberty, standing. Dan recently completed an Eagle Scout service project that entailed building and installing a new bench for Apalachin’s Riverside Cemetery. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)
Dan, who has been active in scouting since the fifth grade, remarked, “It’s been a fun and beneficial program, where I’ve made friends and learned life lessons,” and further commented that a favorite experience was spending summers at Tuscarora camp.
Dan explained that the bench project meets the multiple requirements of an Eagle Scout service project, and noted, “It benefits the community.”
After drawing up custom-design details and proposing his idea to Troop Leaders and Riverside Cemetery representatives, it was then presented to the Eagle Scout Board via a Zoom session.
From left, seated, are Boy Scout Troop 32 members Wyatt Tirinato-Snow, Dominick Curley, and Dan Liberty. Standing is Troop Leader Matt Liberty. Dan recently finished his Eagle Scout service project, a new bench for the cemetery, and with the help of fellow scouts and others. Not pictured is Ethan Race, who also helped on the project. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)
A few project tweaks and changes here and there, along with completing plenty of documentation, Dan, along with primary help from three fellow scouts and his grandfather, took on the bench-making task together.
One particular tweak was a decision not to build a backrest on the bench, and so that individuals who utilize the bench can either sit facing Marshland Road, or can easily turn around to view the cemetery.
Before the bench was officially placed, the work crew mixed up several bags of concrete and built a form for a concrete slab. Most of the materials used were purchased from an area retailer that gives discounts toward Eagle Scout projects.
Dan commented that the approximate five-foot by eighteen-inch bench, which stands sixteen-inches high, was built at his grandfather’s workshop on Marshland Road.
From left, Riverside Cemetery President, Mick Brown, thanks and shakes the hand of Dan Liberty, a Boy Scout from Troop 32 who recently finished his Eagle Scout service project, a new bench for the cemetery. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)
Overall, Dan said that he enjoyed learning more about the craft of building. It seems, too, that spending time with his grandfather was just as memorable as building the bench itself, and also where the project was inspired.
A final aspect of the bench project will be the placement of a plaque, and which will be attached to the inside support brace.
Two team members work on a new bench for Riverside Cemetery in Apalachin, and a service project for an Eagle Scout award. Provided photo.
Going forward, Dan will be working to earn extra merit badges, and plans to stay on as an adult helper with the troop along with his father Matt, a Troop Leader for four years. After OFA graduation in 2022, Dan is tentatively planning to study networking at SUNY-Broome.
Just behind the bench and garden area rests many of this area’s veterans, from Revolutionary hero Colonel Asa Camp, for whom Campville is named, along with Civil War soldiers, and through modern day veterans. Many distinguished and notable early settlers rest at Riverside as well, such as Ransom Steele, whose grave is just a short distance from the garden.
Visitors to the cemetery now have a comfortable bench where they can sit and admire the lovely garden or view the surroundings.
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