The historic Civil War Memorial Plaque at Old Town Hall is under restoration to preserve its historic materials and appearance.
Photo credit: CitySpace
EASTHAMPTON — Restoration work has begun on the city’s historic Civil War Memorial Plaque outside Old Town Hall, the home of CitySpace, after community supporter Silar Kopf spearheaded the effort.
The project began after Kopf walked past Old Town Hall and stopped earlier this year to study the memorial. While idle, Kopf noticed the plaque’s record of Easthampton’s Civil War losses and those connected to the Andersonville Prison Camp.
“The losses seemed enormous for the size of the town, but I was particularly struck by the six names of men who were imprisoned and died at the notorious Andersonville camp,” Kopf told Reminder Publishing. “I had seen pictures of survivors of the camp years ago and the sights were heartbreaking of men literally starved to death or dying of disease because of horrendous unsanitary conditions.”
After observing the memorial’s condition, Kopf reached out to CitySpace Treasurer and Project Manager Mike Tautznik about supporting its restoration and cleaning, adding that the memorial’s story and history needed to be told and preserved.
“Here in America, we have a history to atone, but equally, we have an obligation to remember what happened,” Kopf added. “The plaque needed work, particularly because it was difficult to read. To restore it seems like doing a service to remember the sacrifices made all those years ago.”
The memorial, erected in 1869, honors Easthampton natives who died during the Civil War. More than 150 years of exposure, surface staining, faded and missing painted lettering, hairline cracking, and deterioration around portions of its decorative side pillars have plagued the marble memorial. One pillar has also shifted from its original alignment.
Tautznik said the memorial was part of the building’s original plan and construction 157 years ago. Since CitySpace took over the property in 2006, part of the organization’s responsibilities, along with reusing the building for public purposes, were to maintain and improve the property on behalf of the community.
“We take that commitment pretty seriously,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of improvement to the building, and we’re always looking for opportunities to do more. We were aware of the condition of that memorial, and it was on our radar to get to at some point. It wasn’t in dire straits, so it wasn’t the highest priority that we have, but it was one of our priorities, and we’re happy to improve the building on behalf of the citizens of the community. They still own it; we just lease it, so all the improvements that we do there are really improving public property, and we’re happy to do that.”
Once Kopf alerted CitySpace about the memorial’s deficiencies, the organization began working with Vitek J. Kruta, director and owner of VK Restoration LLC, a Western Massachusetts firm specializing in fine art restoration, historic preservation, monument conservation and architectural restoration.
VK Restoration assessed the memorial and prepared a conservation plan focused on preserving its historic materials and appearance. The work includes cleaning the marble, treating hairline cracks, stabilizing and realigning the displaced side pillar, repairing damaged areas and restoring the incised black lettering.
The proposal was accepted, and work on the plaque has begun. Restoration will continue throughout September, with scheduling dependent on weather and site conditions.
Kopf’s support reflects the role community members play in caring for the building and the stories connected to it, according to CitySpace, which is responsible for the historic building they now occupy.
“My hope would be that people in Easthampton, particularly students, will take the time to look at the memorial and reflect on our history,” Kopf said.
For CitySpace, the project supports the preservation of an important part of Old Town Hall and Easthampton’s history.
“One of the things that we realized back when we vacated the building is that without a public use there, it was likely not going to become a high priority for the city to spend money on, and so that was part of the city’s intent back when this building was first vacated, to try to find an organization that would put it at the forefront,” Tautznik said. “To be honest, nothing that we do would happen without community support. This instance highlights Silas, who’s been a supporter of ours and other organizations in the community for all the years he’s been here. It’s important for folks to understand that we exist because of the community and for the community. When the community steps up and reaches out and assists us, we’re able to accomplish things.”
Tautznik said that there are plans to rededicate the memorial during this year’s Veterans Day ceremonies. He added that any families of those on the memorial are encouraged to reach out to hello@cityspaceeasthampton.org, as CitySpace would like to hear from them and invite them to the rededication.
