Maintaining a Piece of History

Jerry Reichert is a 65-year-old retired draftsman from North Syracuse. Three days a week he volunteers at Sainte Marie Among the Iriquois, a re-created French mission in Liverpool, New York. The small fort structure sits on the side of Onondaga Lake and is home to dozens of 17th century artifacts. Reichert leads demonstrations in the carpentry and cooking methods the Jesuit missionaries practiced.The small amount of tours and attention is not enough. Saint Marie requires funding. And is hard to find these days. Reichert and other volunteers do the best they can to maintain this piece of New York history.>