MARBLEHEAD — After years of decay and neglect, the Veterans Gazebo at Waterside Cemetery has gotten new life, just in time to honor veterans buried there before the holidays.
Dozens gathered at the cemetery Saturday morning for the unveiling of the newly restored gazebo, days before roughly 2,300 wreaths are scheduled to be placed on the graves of Veterans on Wreaths Across America Day, which will be held on Dec 16.
Paint chipping, wood rotting, rust, and a flag pole needing repair were some of the major issues that had developed over the last several years. Plans to refurbish the gazebo had been discussed but never came to fruition until several organizations took the initiative this summer.
Its last improvement came several years ago when a new roof was installed, but additional funds were not available to fully refurbish the gazebo.
According to Linda Maffeo, of the ElderAct club of Marblehead/Swampscott, the club had been looking into ways to improve the gazebo at Waterside for years but didn’t have an avenue to pursue the project.
This summer, Town Moderator and Rotary Club member Jack Attridge heard the ElderAct club’s discussions involving the gazebo at a meeting and decided to take action.
“I happened to be sitting in on a meeting of that club and decided to just pull everybody together and get the job done,” Attridge said.
A number of Rotary Club branches, including the High School Interact Club, the Rotary, the Marblehead Harbor Rotary, and the Marblehead-Swampscott ElderAct Club, funded the effort. Matt Merrit of Gerritt-Cole, Fred Ferris, and Karl Smith at Marblehead Ace Hardware donated all of the supplies.
Within a matter of weeks, a contractor was hired, and the job was completed. Attridge added that the project is significant to those in town who have loved ones buried at Waterside.
“For a multi-generational town like Marblehead, it means a lot,” he said.
Marblehead Wreaths Across America Founder Teresa Collins called the gazebo an “incredibly beautiful and peaceful place to sit and reflect” and thanked the businesses and Rotary Clubs for making its renewal possible.
The first Wreaths Across America event in Marblehead took place just last year. Collins said that the event helped serve as a reminder that the gazebo was in desperate need of attention.
“I think having the event there last year brought a little more attention to it and got the wheels turning again on ‘Hey, let’s get this done,’ so it looks like it demonstrates the respect it should have,” Collins said.
Maffeo said she looks forward to the reactions of those who visit the cemetery, especially during the wreath ceremony.
“It’s going to be wonderful because when people do place wreaths—they can now see how lovely it looks,” Maffeo said.
The gazebo will receive visitors at its first major gathering since its restoration during the Wreaths Across America Ceremony on Saturday, Dec.16 at noon.
