By Dawn DuBois

We may no longer surround our dead with their worldly possessions so they may have nice things in the afterlife as the Egyptians did many years ago. Or, like the Greeks, place money in the mouth of the deceased so that they could pay Charon to ferry them across the River Styx and have a wonderful afterlife. However, these days when visiting a cemetery, you never know what you may see that people have left at a gravesite.

It’s everywhere… I’ve seen it all over the USA and in other countries as well. It is a time honored tradition that goes back centuries in some areas. Social anthropologists find it extraordinarily useful for understanding a culture and the death/burial practices in various regions of the world. Frankly, I love those personal touches… they are deeply moving and heartfelt… genuine and often quite symbolic…

Around the holidays you might see grave blankets,crosses or wreaths made from evergreens. Don’t forget to check with the cemetery for their particular rules; many cemeteries have special regulations with regards to placing flowers on gravesites.

For some people placing a stone pays tribute to the dead and leaves a mark of one’s visit. Some Jewish people believe a stone placed on the grave helps to keep the dead from haunting the living. For most of us, stones conjure a harsh image. It does not seem the appropriate memorial for one who has died. But stones have a special character in Judaism. In the Bible, an altar is no more than a pile of stones, but it is on an altar that one offers to God. The stone upon which Abraham takes his son to be sacrificed is called even hashityah, the foundation stone of the world. The most sacred shrine in Judaism, after all, is a pile of stones–the wall of the Second Temple.

In the words of the popular Israeli song, “There are men with hearts of stone, and stones with the hearts of men.”

So why place stones on the grave? The explanations vary, from the superstitious to the poignant.

The superstitious rationale for stones is that they keep the soul down. There is a belief, with roots in the Talmud, that souls continue to dwell for a while in the graves in which they are placed. The grave, called a beit olam (a permanent home), was thought to retain some aspect of the departed soul.

In earlier times one did not mark a grave with a fancy granite stone, it was covered with stones that each mourner added. This not only marked the grave but help keep animals from digging up the deceased.

Sometimes you may come across some headstones with coins left on them. These coins may have distinct meaning when left on the headstone of someone who lost their life while serving in American’s military. It not only lets the family know that someone else has visited the grave to pay respect but the meanings can vary depending on the denomination of coin. A nickel indicates that the visitor and the deceased trained at boot camp together. A dime means the visitor served with the deceased in some capacity and leaving a quarter tells the family you were with them when they got killed. At many national and state veterans cemeteries the coins are collected and use toward maintaining the cemetery. This tradition of leaving coins can be traced back as far as the Roman Empire.

In American tradition, pennies are left on Benjamin Franklin’s grave. There is a photo of his funeral in Philadelphia; his grave is adorned with pennies, no doubt placed there as a token by some of the 20,000 people that came that day to pay their respects. This custom was eventually associated with good luck and may have spread to graves in general in America. Some use pennies as a prayer token for the line “In God we trust” which appears on the American penny. Of course he is a man famous for the line, “A penny saved, is a penny earned,”.

Some are, perhaps unwittingly, mimicking the ancient tradition where gold coins were buried with the corpse in order to pay the toll charged by Charon, the boatman of the Underworld, for passage to the other side of the river Styx. It was considered impious not to leave this toll with the dead, as it would condemn them to forever wander the shores without cease.

Some believe that to leave a coin on a grave brings good luck. Students in some areas are known to leave pennies on the graves of their school’s founder in the hopes of good luck with exams.

In America we mark our veterans gravesites with the America flag and many National cemetery across the country have volunteers place wreaths on the graves at holiday time. Have you ever seen ladies wearing red poppies on Memorial Day or an increase in red poppies on graves at certain times of the year? If you have, that may be because red poppies are a symbol for our soldiers, particularly on Memorial Day. In 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms.Michael and when she returned to France, made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries.

Whatever one chooses to leave behind in remembrance of a passed loved one; it most certainly holds some sort of personal meaning. Respecting what others leave on graves is very important. What may seem gaudy or ugly to you, may have very deep meaning to the person who left it.

Of course, you should always respect the individual cemeteries rules. Some things are not allowed in certain areas, and it is always a shame when someone leaves something, only to find out later it has been removed for violation of a rule.

In the early 1800′s stone from the Hindostan Whetstone beds of Orange County Indiana became the first commercial tombstone in Indiana. This was a vast improvement over fieldstone and wood markers. They are composed of thick and thin layers of river silt deposits and are commonly known for sharpening tools. The number of layers seen on a headstone has been as few as nine and as many as 32 within the space of less then three inches.

At the lower right of the inscriptions you may find the headstone signed by the engraver or dealer. The lettering used on the headstones are similar to fonts used by newspapers and books prior to the pre-Civil War era. The stone layers are prone to splitting and flaking away over time.

Transported from the quarries in ox drawn wagons to the White river and then placed on barges. Many stones where taken to New Orleans and then shipped overseas. The last quarry closed in 1980, with the railroad lines opened up Indiana to white marble from other states. The Indiana limestone industry began to produce gravestones.

You can identify a Hindostan Whetstone Marker by three physical features. First they are mush more weather resistant than limestone or marble, so the inscriptions can be very clear and easy to read. The color is often tan with off white, buff, light brown and rust streaked. Once you have seen one you will be able to easily spot more. Most vital is the layers show a progressive overall pattern of thickening and thinning. A thick-thin pair is referred to as a “couplet”. You can view these on the top or side of the monument.

In Southwestern Indiana and Pope County, Ill many Whetstone headstones have been identified in pioneer cemeteries. Some have been found near the Wabash River along the lower Ohio and Mississipi rivers because of the rivers being used for transporting the stone. The Indiana Geological Survey at Indiana University is recording the locations of ever stone found. If you encounter a monument that you believe may be made from Whetstone they ask that you send in or email your photos of the face and of the edge. The contact information is IGS 611 N Walnut Grove Bloomington IN 47405 or email Dr. Richard Powell at rlpowell@indiana.edu

See more photos at this Findagrave.com link

A properly maintained cemetery discourages vandalism and is pleasant to visit. It should be maintained out of respect for those who are buried. Choices for the ongoing maintenance depend upon the budget for the cemetery. If the cemetery has no income, volunteers may be doing the only maintenance or it has been abandon with no one to care for it.

Keeping the grass mowed and the weeds under control can be very costly for the cemetery. They may have employees or contract the work out to a landscaping company who may just simply cut the grass on a specified schedule. Many city cemeteries have maintenance done by the city maintenance crew. Whoever is reasonable for the mowing and other grounds work needs to train the crews to respect the headstones and markers in the cemetery. Safety issues are to be a priority! The crew will be faced with a unique set of challenges you may not face when simply mowing your own lawn.

Careless mowing can harm marble and granite headstones. You just don’t want a 100-year-old stone to be broken by a careless act of a crewmember. Without proper training, supervision and follow through, ground maintenance can be very damaging to the stones.

Make sure the crew is using the right equipment. All mowers used in the cemetery should have discharged guards to protect the gravestones from thrown debris. Project the discharge guard away from the headstones while mowing, as mowers can throw rocks a great distance and they can chip a headstone. The mower should have bumpers on all the features on the mower that might come in contact with a stone. It should be made clear to workers that mowing equipment should never make contact with the stones, but having bumpers will help incase it happens. Bumpers can be fabricated out of old inner tubes or tires. Make sure everything is firmly attached and do checks before using the equipment.

When mowing try to stay at less 12 inches from the headstones, that area can be trimmed with a trimmer using line that measures no more then .09″ in diameter. The heavier the line the more damage it can do to a headstone. The work must be precise because a stone can show the damage from trimmers being used to close to the stone. Many times the maintenance crew feels they need to work fast to get the job done; this also can lead to carelessness. Rather that mow around a footstone or flat marker, the crew may simply mow over it. This can make scratches on stone or bronze markers with each mowing.

The crew should report any damages to the cemetery management, however this may not happen. The cemetery should be inspected by management for any signs of carelessness. It’s also an opportunity to carefully inspect overall landscape conditions and evaluate possible problems like the sinking of new graves. The crew may failure to report or correct the problem reflects poorly on the cemetery and poses a significant public hazard. There should be a process for delaying maintenance in the event of a funeral or burial.

Do not use herbicides to control the weeds, as many obtain salts that are acidic and will cause severe harm to limestone and marble. Even granite can be affected over time. It causes deterioration of the stones and destruction of groundcover will result in erosion around the base of the stone and make depressions that will collect water and cause even more damage. Also the dead grass distracts from the beauty of the landscape.

Cemetery maintenance is much more then mowing and weed control but everything comes with a cost. So many things like trash collection, planting, seeding, fertilizing, raking, mulching, watering, pruning, tree care & removal, fire ants & other pest, pathways, drives, parking areas, irrigation systems and many other services related to the grounds can take a great deal of money. This all leaves little time or money for headstone raising, resetting, aligning, cleaning or any repairs. There for many cemeteries make it a rule that family must maintain the headstones. They see it as the family’s private property no matter what happens to it.

God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be, so He put His arms around you and whispered, “Come To Me” With tearful eyes we watched you and saw you fading away, and though we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest, and although our hearts were broken we knew God Knows Best ….. Author Unknown

The funeral poem above has been placed upon a one of a kind monument in Frankfort KY Cemetery. You can’t help but spot it when you are now leaving the cemetery and I could not help but wonder whom this young man was. Russell “Dale” Stephenson, 21 years old was a son, brother, fiance and someone whose life was taken away at a young age. It seems so unfair his life being cut short by an illness. We as humans find it especially hard to accept death when it’s “premature” and the person had so many things that they did not get to do in life. It’s only when the deceased is much older that we allow ourselves the peaceful feeling that they had a complete life. My heart hurts for his family and friends. RIP Dale!

By Dawn Richardson

I would like to tell you a little about a wonderful man. His name was Lance Richardson. All his life Lance loved cemeteries and was intrigued with Archaeology. As soon as he was old enough, he got a job and worked while he was in high school. As soon as he graduated from high school he went to college, all the while working a full time job. He graduated from college with Bachelors in liberal arts. This was not good enough for him though. He wanted to be an Archaeologist. He decided to go back to school to get his Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. This was not easy. He had to work full time while in school and pay for everything himself. He got a job working for the University of Alabama as an Archaeologist. He worked there for over 12 years. Some people have a bad sense of what they do though. They think of Indiana Jones but it is not really like that. He had to take a second job that he worked at for around 10 years to make ends meet. He worked two jobs for as long as I know.

When I met Lance I felt that I had met a kindred spirit. His passion for cemeteries rubbed off on me very quickly. On the rare times that he had time away from working both jobs, we would visit cemeteries, taking photos, and just walk through looking at the beauty that was contained in them. We talked of getting books published to share that beauty. While we were there we would upright flowers that had been turned over, clear back weeds, and generally show respect to those who were buried there. He always marveled at the big, beautiful headstones and statues. He adored them. Lance shared a lot of his photos with his friends on Facebook. He was proud to talk about them. He was always eager to talk with anyone who shared his love of cemeteries. He made many wonderful friends in the taphophile community. His passion shown through just in his comments of others pictures and the way he would talk about cemeteries.

I lost Lance on August 3, 2012. He was on an archaeological survey in Clarke county Alabama. I still do not know how he passed. We are still awaiting the autopsy report. It was a truly shocking event to many. He left behind me, his wife Dawn, 1 son and 2 daughters. He also left behind many, many dear friends and many of them have helped by giving to a fund for his headstone. More funds are needed and any help you can give is very appreciated. Here is the link to the fund https://www.pleasefund.com/pages/6432

Grave Blankets provide a beautiful decoration during winter weather. Grave blankets also referred to as cemetery blankets can be made to cover all of the grave site traditionally made of evergreens, such as pine. Along with baby’s breath, flowers, ribbons and bows. Small ones may be referred to as grave pillows. Before making or ordering a grave blanket be sure the cemetery allows this type of grave decoration.

An American tradition, grave blankets are most common in Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York. Most popular are Holiday grave blankets however they are also used for Mother’s day, birthdays and the anniversary of the person’s death.

Other decorations are made from evergreens like crosses and wreaths. Wreaths Across America coordinates wreath laying ceremonies across the country to get wreaths on the graves of our military at National Cemeteries by using thousands of volunteers. They receive no government funds, Individual sponsors pay the cost of the programs.

I’ve been singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” as I have moved back to Indiana from Kentucky. I believe the state of Indiana has a good knowledge of the cemetery locations within the state. In July 2000 the Indiana General Assembly Passed IC 14-21-1-13.5, which authorized the Indiana Department of Natural Resources – Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA) to locate and survey every cemetery and burial ground in the state. They appointed Jeannie Regan-Dinius as Cemetery Registry Coordinator. I have met her and she is a lovely lady who really seems to care about Indiana cemeteries and she is glad to give you information. She can be contacted by email at jrdinius@dnr.in.gov.

Jeannie works with hundreds of interested volunteers to help get all Indiana Burial Gounds registered in the state by county. This project will not read every tombstone to document individual burials. The DHPA welcomes public involvement in this program, contact Jeannie for information on how to volunteer. Indiana has ninety-two counties and the data collection varies from county to county. Each year DHPA co-sponsors with the Indiana Historical Society a series of workshops to teach cemetery preservation.

Indiana law gives the responsibility for maintaining abandoned cemeteries in the state to the township trustee. They must keep the cemeteries in a respectable condition by removing all unsightly accumulations and debris. The one problem is that the funds for any maintains is taken from the township funds. So many will do minimal work in each cemetery. They are always in need of volunteers and funds to help with the cemeteries. The trustee may also run active public cemetery using any plot fees to help maintain the cemetery.

Until 1999, farmers could legally remove the stones and plant over the cemetery. They could even build on top of them. The Indiana Pioneer Cemetery Restroation Project begun in 1997. Many volunteers join this effort to generate public awareness about neglected pioneer cemeteries in Indiana.

The Association of Gravestone Studies was founded in 1977 to further the study of preservation of gravestones. AGS is an international organization with an Indiana Chapter who has a facebook page.

I attended the Fall meeting at the Monroe County History Center and nearly 30 people came. After lunch attendees visited White Oak and Rose Hill Cemetery. The next meeting will be held Saturday April 6, 2013 at Franklin College in Franklin, IN. For more information about the Indiana Chapter please contact Chapter Chair Joy Giguere at jgiguere@ivytech.edu

D/2 Biological Solution is an easy to use liquid that is ph neutral and contains no salts, bleach or acids. It’s been tested and recommended by the Department of Veterans Affairs, The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, and The Association for Gravestone Studies. It’s highly effective for removing stains caused by mold, mildew, lichens, air pollutants and algae that you might find on sculpture, monuments and headstones. It works best when used at 45 degrees or above.

Before cleaning a stone with biological growth, always wear a mask and use rubber gloves. You don’t want to affect your health in any way. Before applying D/2 you want to remove high growth by using a wood shim. Most will come off quickly.

There are two methods for using D/2. First you can get immediate results by spraying on D/2 and let remain for about 10 minutes. Apply additional D/2 to maintain a wet surface. Us a soft fiber scrub brush, lightly misting with water as you scrub. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water, using a hose or pump sprayer.

The second method is even easier. If you are unable to scrub or you don’t care if you see immediate results. Place your D/2 in a pump sprayer and wet the entire surface and allow to dry D/2 works with the elements and you will see results in one week to one month. The stone will lighten over time. You may re-apply if needed.

After initial treatment a light spray once a year will help maintain a stain free surface. If the stone shows signs of chipping, scaling, flaking or other forms of deterioration, leave it as is. You will do more harm then good. . In the event of excessive plant exposure, rinse all plants and water-in all planted ground areas contacted by D/2. You may view the material safety data sheet here: http://www.limeworks.us/pdf/D2_documents/D2_MSDS.pdf

LimeWorks.us is the national leader of environmentally friendly masonry preservation products and is now the architectural distributor of D/2 Biological Solution.

If you order from them at Limeworks.us and use “saveagrave” as your coupon code you will receive a discount.

I spent this past week researching and talking to people about what chemicals they use when cleaning a headstone. I would like to hear what you have to say on this subject so please feel free to email me at saveagrave@gmail.com.

A few people I’ve spoken to said they would absolutely NEVER use any chemical when cleaning a headstone. Water and a soft brush is all that is needed. This is also what I was taught. Then I found that The Association for Gravestone Studies recommended using Ammonium Hydroxide (Household Ammonia) for light colored stones. I found this to be a great help, so I’ve used it many time by mixing one cup ammonia to one gallon of water. Pre-wetting the stone with water and rinsing thoroughly when done. It’s also going to be the less expensive product to use. Once, when volunteering at a local cemetery I met a man who used a chemical called D/2 he let me buy some from him because he told me that I would not be able to buy it with out being certified. Later I found out that I could get it from Cathedral Stone Products a distributor of D/2 Biological Solution. This week buyers of D/2 got an email from Cathedral Stone saying Simple Green has decided to stop production of D/2. I found out this is not true. Cathedral Stone is just not going to be a distributor of D/2 anymore. You can place and order for D/2 Biological Solution from limeworks.us and when you check out use “saveagrave” as your coupon code to receive a discount.

While talking to others online, I started wondering if there are other products that are safe to use. Products that might make the job easier take less time and get good results. But the number one concern is “no long term damage to the stone”. Damage can be permanent and irreversible. The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) website says to use cleaners that contain quaternary ammonium compounds, like D/2. You can read this page at http://bit.ly/SW3BuB, because of this study D/2 is safe from a conservation point of view and it’s known to be safe for people and vegetation.

However, are there other products that can do the same thing? I saw one product being promoted on facebook. Post started showing up in my facebook groups about a product called “Wet & Forget” here is the video they are showing.

So how great would it be to just spray a product and leave it on come back in some months to find out it’s all clean. Well I found one person who did just that. A man from Indiana shared his photos with me and the marketing lady who is promoting “Wet and Forget” and she used his photos on the company blog.

You see how in this picture the stone is black from growth which is very hard to clean off.

This photo shows the stone after he went to check on it about a year later. He was happy to find it looked so clean.

This photo is after almost two years and you see it’s looking white again.

So I’m thinking ….. this all looks good, but what are the long terms effect on the stone?
This is the question that made me search around and after finding no studies on this, I wanted to hear from other people who may have an opinion on this. The people I talked to, from Caretakers to Preservationist and even Masons either didn’t like the idea of leaving a product on a stone or they never heard of it. Could this be because the product is new to the United States? The company says it’s a tried and tested product that has been used residentially and commercially for over 30 years in New Zealand and Australia. But have they been using it on gravestones for 30 years???

I had to see the product and read the bottle, so off to Walmart I went to find it. Once locating it in the hardware department. I first notice this tag hanging from it …..

This tag kind of put me on guard for a second …. I’m thinking it might make some people mad and they would just go to a different product. Because there are other choices for this kind of product on the shelf next to “Wet & Forget” was “Mold Armor” but the back I could not read.

So I know nothing about this product.

The other option was Jomax House Cleaner and Mildew Killer.

On the back of it’s bottle the directions ask you to mix it with Bleach. Oh and we all know NEVER to use Bleach on a headstone of any kind.

So that takes me back to “Wet & Forget” with it’s funny tag. On the bottle under Active Ingredients says 90.1% of Other Ingredients, now why are they not listing all the ingredients?

On the back of the product it list surfaces on which you can use, and we see it says “natural stone, Tombstones”.

What affects this product may have on Headstones over time ….. No one seems to know. We do know it goes against what is preached about not leaving any product on the stone. So many headstone preservationist would say it’s not worth the risk and they will stay with D/2. For me, I’m buying some “Wet & Forget” to try on my roof, patio and sidewalk. I’m not convensted yet to take the risk on a headstone. I think I’ll keep using D/2.

You can download the MSDS Sheet for D/2 Biological Solution here: http://www.limeworks.us/pdf/D2_documents/D2_MSDS.pdf

You can download the MSDS Sheet for “Wet & Forget” here: http://www.wetandforget.com/downloads/MSDS_WETFORGET_99gL_2172012.pdf

Below is another stone treated with “Wed & Forget”

Have Monumental Fun Making a Difference
By Bonnie Burks Gray

It’s hard to paint a picture of people working with brush and water, or shovel and tamper, or lever and brawn, on a stone engraved with numbers as long-ago as the 1700s and show that those folks are having fun. But ask anyone who has attended one of the Grove Hill Cemetery Restoration/Preservation Workshops and I’m sure they’d tell you it was more than fun, it was satisfying.

Grove Hill Cemetery, 458 Mt Eden Rd, Shelbyville, KY, is the resting place of over 18,000 people, some whose monuments note their burial or reinterment date as the late 1700s. Grove Hill is an active, vital contributor to the quality of life of Shelby Countians. A silent servant to the community, performing its role with dignity, respect and responsibly.

Shelby County Public Schools sponsored a Veteran’s Day Event in 2010 in front of Grove Hill Chapel. Historic tours, bird watching tours and Memorial Day trubutes are just some of the activities fround at Grove Hill Cemetery.

Mary Ann Gramig, left and Lisa Davis gently clean a stone using soft clean brushes and D/2 Solution. They are certified apprentice preservationists for Grove Hill Cemetery.

Friends of Grove Hill
The restoration/preservation efforts of Grove Hill are sponsored by an auxiliary group of the cemetery, Friends of Grove Hill. One task they have adopted is to restore gravestones which no longer have descendants who are responsible for their upkeep or who claim that responsibility. Stones encrusted with lichens and moss; or the grime of pollution; or have succumbed to gravity, toppled and broken are the target of Friends of Grove Hill preservationists. KY law is very clear that the descendants of family cemeteries or plots in public cemeteries are responsible for the preservation/restoration of ancestors’ monuments. Landowners whose property holds a cemetery do not own the land (from border to border of the cemetery) that it occupies. Those property owners are not responsible to mow or protect the cemetery beyond restraining their livestock from trampling or otherwise harming the stones. Even though Grove Hill is not responsible for the maintenance of the monuments, their condition is a concern. From esthetic to historic value, the preservation of the monuments is something that Friends of Grove Hill have focused their attention on. The “Friends” take their role seriously and have dedicated hours of research, called in the talents of noted stone preservationists and benefitted from lots of trial and very little error. Their primary preservationist team, led by Wm Whitie Gray, includes Mike Harrod, Gay Guthrie and Charles Long. All Shelby Countians, the group has personally tackled or led workshop trainees through restoration efforts on so many stones, the number nears 100. The challenge, however, is 10 times that number. Team member, Long, is also Trustee Chair of Grove Hill and says that the preservation efforts are welcomed beyond measure. Dare we say, “Priceless”?

Restoration Workshops
“Friends” have sponsored three workshops; the last two had returning participants. The last workshop had our largest attendance of new participants (over 30) with attendees traveling from as far as Richmond, Greenville and Independence, KY. Workshop attendees who complete the full training course earn a certification as qualified, apprentice preservationist. They are not yet experts, but certainly knowledgeable of safe steps to clean stones, realign foundations or complete less complicated monument issues. The protection of stones for future generations often means redirecting the efforts of overzealous or misinformed preservationists.

Broken urn on far right.

Urn collar was created from vinyl cement to hold the urn.

Finished repair of urn.

The before and after experience of our workshops is most interesting. Seeing a stone gently cleaned so that it can be read for the first time in possibly 100 years is rewarding. Resurrecting a stone, buried face down in the dirt to a new, firm foundation is exhilarating. Taking a broken stone, unearthing its pieces, putting them back together, making the stone whole again, is work whose reward is pure satisfaction.

Restoring a stone is often like an archaeological dig. Preservationists gently sift through the dirt around the stone to find pieces of the monument, unearth the base or foundation, and determine its original location. GENTLY is the adverb heard most often. Whether brushing debris from a stone or cleaning it otherwise, it is critical that every move is executed with great care to protect the monument. Carvings on marble or limestone will not survive a heavy hand. Gently lifting a stone, securing it with straps that hold it tightly without marring the stone, lowering carefully on to a new foundation, procedures that must be executed carefully to protect the monument and assure the safety of the workers. Stones can weigh hundreds of pounds. We want no broken toes, or pulled backs, please. Restoration steps for a single stone can stretch over several days as monuments are uncovered, foundations are laid, pieces are epoxied together, stones are adhered to level foundations, and finally cleaned. Allowing concrete mix to harden, and epoxy to dry, are just two of the steps that make major stone restoration work painstakingly slow.

The Graham Stone, had hidden its story for over 50 years. The marble base had crumbled and sent the stone to the ground. Preservationists collected all the pieces and put it together again. Remaking lost pieses with vinyl concrete because it has the same co-efficient as stone. The new pieces will expand and contract with the weather just as if they were stone will stand for ages. Custom bond epoxy holds the pieces together. A new foundation holds the stone erect.

To learn more about our restoration work; upcoming events: historic tours and workdays; and other Grove Hill news, including a genealogical search of residents; visit our website: http://www.grovehillcemetery.net/ and click on our Facebook link.

Next Workshop – Join Us
The next Grove Hill Monument Restoration/Preservation Workshop is September 22, 2012 (9:30 AM until we are tired, 3:00 PM or so) & 23 (1:30 PM- ?). Registration fees cover lunch on Saturday, preservation kit and materials, plus participants completing the Saturday morning training will earn an apprentice certification. Registration: $45/individual; $80/couple; $20/youth age 10 – 18. Previously certified apprentices are invited to join us to help train and work on the stones; $15 covers lunch. The workshop is limited to 30 trainees. Make checks payable to Grove Hill Cemetery Workshop. Advanced reservations are necessary; please contact Grove Hill, 502-633-2750 or info@grovehillcemetery.net by Sept 17, 2012
You can check http://saveagrave.net/workshops-seminars for more workshops.

Participants in the April 2012 Grove Hill Cemetery Restoraiton Workshop.