Dorchester County preservation board plans master cemetery list, outreach events and grant drives

The Dorchester County Burial Site Preservation Board moved forward on several outreach and inventory efforts Thursday, including work to compile a countywide master list of burial sites, plans for a fall field trip and a vendor table at the Vienna festival on Sept. 13, and early steps to pursue outside grant funding.

The board's work is intended to document burial locations — including known gaps for African American and Native American sites — and to increase public engagement and volunteer support for cemetery documentation and minor stewardship projects.

At the meeting Chair Dorothy Bradford Saminski called the session to order and confirmed roll call; board members present included Joe Era, Karen Talley and Chief Donna Abbott, with Frederick Windsor, David (last name not specified) and Eric (last name not specified) absent. A motion to approve the minutes from the May 19 meeting was made and seconded and carried. Late in the meeting members also moved and seconded to adjourn; no objections were recorded.

The board discussed a planned fall field trip that would start at Church Creek Cemetery, include Old Trinity and a Woodford graveyard, and offer shuttle service for participants who cannot walk the sites. Members proposed coordinating the trip with Old Trinity Day and combining land- and boat-based viewing options. Volunteers will prepare a color flyer for posting at post offices, libraries, firehouses and other community hubs; one member suggested printing about 100 flyers for broad distribution.

Board members also agreed to staff a vendor table at the Vienna Native American festival on Sept. 13. Organizers said there is no participant fee but vendors must provide their own table, tent and chairs; festival staff will issue wristbands and provide overnight security. Joe Era volunteered to coordinate sign-ups and a rotation of two- to three-hour shifts for volunteers at the table.

On communications, the board noted the cemetery Facebook page is managed by an absent member, and members requested access credentials so more than one person can post event notices and respond to public inquiries. The board asked staff to follow up with the absent member before the August meeting.

A major agenda focus was creating a comprehensive master list of burial sites to be maintained and used by planning and zoning and by the board. Members said the working file currently combines the historical society’s “Nellie’s list” with planning records but still misses many African American and Native American burial sites. The board discussed enlisting college research centers or graduate students (Salisbury University’s NABB research center was named as a possible partner) or county interns to assist with GIS mapping, oral histories and archival work.

Members also discussed funding. The board reviewed a community-grant opportunity described in the meeting as the Trader Foundation grant (grants up to $3,000, with a required local match). The board agreed to research past grants for examples — including documentation or GPR (ground-penetrating radar) projects and stone relocation projects — and to cultivate local applicants who might pursue matching funds. The board set July 1 as the typical anniversary deadline for that grant and discussed preparing examples or a packet of proposed projects to support applications for the next cycle.

Board members described smaller volunteer-oriented projects the board can run directly, such as “Find a Grave”–style photo days and spring “adopt-a-cemetery” cleanup or documentation events timed around Earth Day and school service programs. Those activities were discussed both as public outreach and as evidence of community engagement the board could present to the county council.

On governance and process, the board asked staff to put a line-by-line review of Chapter 63 of the Dorchester County charter on the August meeting agenda so members can clarify jurisdictional scope, quorum and procedural rules. At the meeting staff read charter language establishing four-year member terms and a three-term consecutive limit: “No member shall serve for more than three consecutive terms,” and members confirmed that the charter limits the board’s formal jurisdiction to unincorporated areas unless a municipality requests coverage.

The board set next steps including: staff follow-up on Facebook credentials and outreach logistics, Joe Era coordinating volunteer sign-ups for the sept. 13 Vienna festival table, members preparing a draft flyer for the fall field trip for the August meeting, and an August agenda item for a detailed review of Chapter 63 and for discussing resources and potential academic partners for building the master list.

The board adjourned after the business was completed. Its next regular meeting was scheduled for August; members asked staff to circulate materials in advance, including town meeting dates for outreach to incorporated places and a compact list of charter questions to guide the August line-by-line review.