As the calendar nears the end of October and early November, thoughts turn to holidays that focus on warding off evil spirits, and remembering and honoring the dead. Images of cemeteries and graveyards come to mind as people celebrate and reflect upon those who have passed away.
So it seems appropriate to study the grave markers that represent in a permanent, physical way people no longer living. In East Texas, the Preserve America Cemetery Interpretation Project, funded by the U.S. National Park Service, makes use of digital technology to survey, photograph, interpret, and describe the grave markers in various cemeteries along the historic El Camino Real de los Tejas. It is a collaborative project between the city of Nacogdoches and Stephen F. Austin State University to promote local heritage and to coordinate cemetery preservation efforts.
The role of metadata used to organize the many facets of the project is important. Using ContentDM Digital Collection Software for storage and retrieval of information for the cemeteries, each grave marker will be cataloged including cemetery name, exact location (utilizing GIS data), deceased’s name, birth and death dates, headstone photographs and descriptive material. In addition, scanned images of death certificates and cemetery inventory records may be included.
Having this data organized in a single database, hosted by the University’s East Texas Research Center, is key to promoting and preserving the unique heritage of this westernmost area of the Deep South.
Read more about this project in the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel:
http://dailysentinel.com/news/article_e4180bb0-d289-11df-b886-001cc4c03286.html
By Ann Ellis