Nantucket Cemetery Commission sets Juneteenth monument dedication, gains new member

Other Committee · Meeting of May 27, 2026

Nantucket Cemetery Commission sets June 19 monument dedication and advances new member appointment. The commission finalized plans at its May 27 meeting for a Juneteenth ceremony at the Quaker Cemetery to inaugurate a monument to Absalom and Hannah Boston, with four speakers confirmed including Erin Splane and a possible cello performance; the event must conclude within 45 minutes so commission members can reach a Boston film screening at the Roxbury International Festival. Member Fran reported the commission's cemetery documentary had screened as a closing plenary at the Maple Leaf and Eagle North American Studies Conference in Helsinki, drawing close to 90 attendees and prompting a screening request from a New York state university professor.

Amelia Holmes was identified as the sole applicant for the commission's one open seat, with Select Board appointment expected. The commission also flagged unresolved ownership of three parcels adjacent to Newtown Cemetery — numbers 40, 42, and 44 — that may have been taken by the town in 1998 but do not appear in GIS records, a question that must be settled before a planned site cleanup and restoration can begin.

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Source: the Other Committee meeting of May 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.