Annual Meeting, November 19, 2026
Long before it was protected land, a hilltop in Harvard supplied the slate that marked lives across colonial New England. What can these stones tell us about our past — and why does protecting places like this matter?
The Harvard Conservation Trust (HCT) invites you to our 2026 Annual Meeting, featuring keynote speaker Derek Strahan, historian and researcher of early New England gravestone art.
This year, HCT completed the acquisition of Farwell Quarry at 87 Ayer Road, protecting the historic Pin Hill Quarry. Derek will take us inside its story, including:
- Why Pin Hill’s distinctive blue-gray slate was prized for funerary art throughout the 1700s and 1800s
- How local stone carvers quarried, shaped, and carved this slate — and the craftsmanship behind their work
- Examples of the magnificent gravestones sourced from the quarry and found in burial grounds across the region
- Why protecting historic landscapes like Pin Hill is as vital to Harvard’s character as protecting its forests, farms, and waters
Event Details:
Thursday, November 19, 2026
◉ Annual Meeting: 6:00 – 6:30 PM
◉ Keynote: 6:30 – 8:00 PM
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library, 4 Pond Road, Harvard, MA
Registration for students is available HERE.
Many thanks to our grantors and sponsors for supporting HCT’s Farwell Quarry project.
