By STEVEN JUPITER
SUDBURY—The Hill Cemetery in Sudbury stands on a bluff just north of the town green, on the west side of Route 30. It’s a breathtaking location, with sweeping westward views of the Champlain Valley and the Adirondacks beyond. It’s easy to see why folks would’ve chosen the spot for their loved ones’ final resting place back in 1778, when the cemetery was established.

Sudbury resident and Town Cemetery Steward Amy Myer is tasked with the upkeep of Sudbury’s town-owned cemeteries: the Hill Cemetery, the Wallace Cemetery, and the Willowbrook Cemetery. Recently, she posted on the Sudbury Facebook group to gauge the community’s interest in replacing the Hill Cemetery’s weather-beaten painted-wood sign.
“The sign that’s standing there now is in poor condition,” said Myer in a recent conversation. “The wood is rotted. It needs to be repaired. I thought, ‘We have people in town who could mill wood and paint. This is our sign, let’s do this right.’”
Myer was unsure when the current sign was made, but it probably doesn’t go back further than the 1990s. However, constant exposure to the elements has taken a toll on it beyond its chronological age.
Myer is hoping that she can recruit some of her Sudbury neighbors to pitch in and help replace the sign. Anyone with wood to donate, painting skills to lend, or any other assistance to offer is encouraged to contact her at amyer@onepost.net.
Ms. Myer has been Sudbury’s Cemetery Steward since last August, when she was named to the position by the Sudbury Selectboard.
“I’ve always loved old cemeteries,” said Myer, who moved to Sudbury from Ohio two and a half years ago. “There are so many wonderful old cemeteries in this area. They have such great stories to tell.”
The Hill Cemetery was founded in 1778 by the early settlers of Sudbury. Though the yard contains numerous stones from the 1800s, only three stones remain from the 1700s: Judge Joseph Warner (1788), William Allen (1795), and Deborah Towner (1796). The Hyde family of Hyde Manor fame are well represented in the cemetery as well.
Much of Ms. Myer’s work as Steward is making sure that the cemeteries are weeded and cleared of brush and that the stones are clean and free of moss and lichen that can damage them. Last October, she held a volunteer workday at the Hill Cemetery and the turnout was bigger than she expected. She plans to hold another workday this spring.

“We’ve also worked with the Vermont Old Cemeteries Association,” she said. “Those guys really know their stuff.” The Association was able to advise Myer on the proper way to clean the fragile stones. She also said a number of stones at Hill need to be returned to plumb.
“One of the big disadvantages of that location is that it’s literally a hill,” she said. “The ground shifts and stones near the slope start to lean.”
Though Myer will focus on the Hill Cemetery in 2025, she plans to devote 2026 to the upkeep of the Wallace Cemetery, which is on the north side of Route 73 just before the intersection with Route 30.
Anyone who’d like to participate in other aspects of cemetery restoration in Sudbury should also feel free to reach out. Ms. Myer is confident she’ll find the assistance she needs.
“We have an incredible spirit of community here,” she said. “It’s who we are. It’s so rare.”