Montgomery Town Supervisor Brian Maher announced Monday that the Town Board has approved Phase 1 to create a conceptual design for the revitalization of a historic African American Cemetery located within the Town of Montgomery.

Recently Maher established an advisory committee for the purpose of revitalizing a historic African American cemetery located off Route 416 in the Town of Montgomery. This committee consists of 25 individuals which include town officials, local historians, teachers from the Valley Central School District, representatives of social justice organizations and town residents of diverse backgrounds. The committee received a presentation from a well-established and known sculptor, Vinnie Bagwell.

“Vinnie Bagwell and her team will be a tremendous asset in revitalizing this historic cemetery,” Maher said. “Phase 1 will include high resolution photography including ground penetrating images that will allow us to determine the location of the graves on site, many of which have been mentioned to be former slaves. It is important for us to move forward with a plan to honor the memory of those buried while also educating ourselves and our community. We want to bring their spirit and their stories to life through this project and we believe signing on Vinnie and her team will get us closer to that goal.”

This historic African American cemetery consists of at least 171 known grave markers on a .46-acre parcel of land located on the west side of State Route 416 in the Town of Montgomery. This cemetery was established in the 18th century for slaves and used by African Americans through the 19th century, with the earliest grave marker dates from 1756.

The cemetery is located across the street from the Medline Industries facility which is currently under construction. Medline Industries sent a check for $150,000 to the Town of Montgomery to be used specifically towards the revitalization and upkeep of this African American cemetery.

“We hope to continue to engage our community and have Vinnie and her team present the conceptual-design ideas in the next few months,” Maher said. “Community engagement and education is going to be a big part of this process.”