Cemetery restoration underway

NEW HAVEN — The New Haven Ohio History League will soon return to the cemeteries. Its 2025 headstone restoration project begins this month at both Old New Haven Cemetery and Guinea Corners Cemetery, with professional conservator Brandon Perry of Monroeville once again leading the work, according to a press release from the history league. The League has managed and financed cemetery restorations for several years, but this marks the first effort at Guinea Corners under its direction. That site, tucked in New Haven Township, holds some of the community's earliest history — and much of it has been left to ruin. The first known burial dates to 1827, when Mary Palmer, kin to settler Caleb Palmer, was laid to rest. Another stone belongs to Catharine Anna Mills, a teenager whose parents, Henry and Elizabeth Mills, moved west from Pennsylvania in 1836 and farmed land that now lies beneath the Willard Reservoir. A descendant of the family replaced several damaged markers in 2018, but much of the cemetery remains battered. A massive tree has destroyed scores of graves, shattering and toppling stones. League members describe this year's work as the beginning of a long, careful restoration that will take years to complete. Roadside signs for both burial grounds went up only a few years ago, thanks to donations from the New Haven Methodist Church and the craftsmanship of Franklin Monument of Norwalk. For this year's work, League board members Barb Babcock and Karen Coffey Wilson selected the restoration sites. The entire project depends on donations from township residents and descendants of those buried there. Contributions fund the preservation work and are tax-deductible. "This is about protecting the history of our community," the League said in its announcement. How to Contribute The New Haven Ohio History League is a nonprofit. Donations may be made through the League's Facebook page, its website, or by mail at: • New Haven Ohio History League • PO Box 25 • New Haven, OH 44850-0025