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North Cemetery restoration wins $10,000 donation; council accepts grant at meeting
Summary
The council accepted a $10,000 donation from the David and Jacqueline Mahoney Fund to support restoration work at North Cemetery; a public commenter updated council on recent restoration efforts funded by a separate grant.
The Portsmouth City Council on Tuesday accepted a $10,000 donation from the David and Jacqueline Mahoney Fund to support restoration projects at North Cemetery, the council announced during its meeting.
During public comment, Sue Sterry, co‑chair of the city’s cemetery committee, reported recent restoration activity at North Cemetery: removal of invasive vegetation and a chain‑link fence, plans to remove two dead trees, and grading and seeding as weather permits. Sterry said the committee used a separate $25,100 grant from a local developer for earlier work and asked the council to consider forming a committee for the city’s 250th anniversary celebration of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026; she noted that Portsmouth’s North Cemetery includes Revolutionary War burials including signer William Whipple.
Councilors thanked committee members and city staff for the work. The council later voted to accept the Mahoney Fund donation to the cemetery restoration effort.
Why it matters: The donation will fund continued preservation of historic gravesites and allow the cemetery committee and city crews to continue restoration work ahead of a planned 250th anniversary commemoration.
What’s next: Cemetery committee leaders and city staff will continue restoration work and coordinate use of donated funds; councilors suggested forming a planning group for the 2026 commemoration.
