r/CemeteryPreservation

Just a few of the additional conserved stones done these past few weeks with @historicstoneconservation (IG).
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC

I recently discovered that my GG-GF is buried in the Bronx, NY not too far from where I live. I went to see the grave and the stone has been neglected for a long time and is in dire need of restoration. The inscription is very difficult to read currently. I reached out to the cemetery and they confirmed there are two other family members buried in the same grave (a 3yo who passed in 1909 and an 11 month old who passed in 1911) in addition to my GG-GF who passed in 1925. I'd love to be able to uncover the inscription on the stone.

I plan to use D2 solution but I'm wary of doing any gentle manual cleaning yet since the inscription is so worn away. I also plan to find a local professional to help stabilize the stone (photo of adjacent gravestone included for reference of how much the stone has sunk over the years).

If anyone has tips on next steps or examples of restorations of similar stones, I'd really appreciate it. Also any tips on reading the inscription.

Today’s conserved stone is that of Ellen Phebe Coit. Born in 1812 in New London, Connecticut to Dr. Elisha and Hannah North. She would marry Rev. John Culkins Coit and pass at the young age of 31. We still have a little bit of work to do on her stone to finish it up.
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC.

Today’s conserved stone is the Burr family grave marker. It sits on the Burr plot watching over 8 members of the Burr family including patriarch William Campbell Burr and his second wife Ella Burr.
This one was a real team effort with @historicstoneconservation (IG)
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC.

Today’s conserved stone belongs to Marlborough Sterling Hamilton (what a distinguished name) the 20 year old son of Marlborough & Euphame Hamilton (another awesome name). Great teamwork with @historicstoneconservation
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC

I wanted to share a bit of my experience, since seeking permission is something many of us navigate in different ways. Over the winter, I reached out to a cemetery association in a nearby town, offering to volunteer my time to clean headstones. I do this work entirely as a free volunteer in my spare time using methods approved by the National Park Service and National Cemetery Administration, and I made that clear in my initial contact. They replied that they would bring my request to their next board meeting for the trustees to review.

I then drafted a letter they could send to their members (families with loved ones buried there), explaining my services and requesting permission to care for their plots. The responses began coming in quickly, and I now have a growing list of families who have opted in.

The cemetery association also discussed amongst themselves and agreed that I could clean any site in the cemetery, even if permissions weren't received from family members (due to lack of contact information, no living family members, etc.). Obviously if anyone responded denying permissions, that will be honored.

This is a lovely rural cemetery, with just over 200 standing headstones. I'm so excited to have this chance to help care for a little chunk of history.

This one cleaned up so well. Great job by my boss
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC.

I have a bit of a weird question for anyone who reads this, so please bear with me.

The pic above is of a small headstone my father keeps in our back garden. It's dedicated to my uncle, his brother, who passed away years ago. He's buried across the country from us and because of this my father isn't able to visit the grave often, so he has this small headstone instead.

Unfortunately we had some really strong winds recently that blew this off of its stand and whatever way it landed it split it in half as you can see.

He's been going through a rough time recently and I'd like to try and fix this for him if it's at all possible but I have absolutely zero knowledge on the subject matter. Is it even possible to fix or would it need to be replaced? What would the costs for either option be? The stand is perfectly fine, it's only this part that's damaged

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This headstone is less than 10 years old and the picturing has faded immensely. It’s not etched so I can’t just take paint to it to get the picture to show up.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, here is the conserved grave marker for Eleanor Ellerbe. And she was a mother 9 times. You’d think those kids would be good enough to get her a headstone that says more than just “Our Mother” 🤣. I’m sure she was greatly loved. Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there.
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC

Today’s conserved stone, the grave marker of Madison Farr Ellerbe. Husband of Eleanor LaCoste and son of Thomas and Caroline Ellerbe. More great work by the team.
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC

Today’s conserved stone, the grave marker of 25 y.o. Clarence William Wells.
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68466649

Im trying g to clean this monument and looking for some advice. There are these specks all over the sides and base and a bunch of calcium. Whats the best way to clean it all up. TIA

I understand that this town (state) doesn’t have enough water for grass and everything, so what can be done? My whole family is buried here. They worked so hard for those plots. I’m worried for the future of this cemetery. Any suggestions? This cemetery also has done some shady things like moving around headstones..

Hi everyone,

I created a small project based on a simple and respectful idea.

Many of us live far away from the places where our relatives are buried. Life moves people to other cities and other countries, but the graves of our loved ones remain where they are. Sometimes it becomes very difficult to visit, clean the area, place flowers, or simply check that everything is okay.

The idea is to connect people locally.

A person who lives far away could find someone near the cemetery, explain where the grave is, what kind of respectful help is needed, and offer a small thank-you donation for the time and effort.

The local participant could accept or decline the request. They would only do simple, careful actions: visit the grave, gently clean around it, place flowers if requested, take respectful photos, and send an update back.

Everything must be legal, respectful, and in line with cemetery rules. No damage, no pressure, no inappropriate actions — only careful help for families who cannot be there themselves.

I would really appreciate your opinion:

Do you think this kind of remote grave care could be useful for people who live far away from their family graves?

And would people in this community consider participating in something like this, either by requesting help or offering help locally?

If this idea feels meaningful to you, I would be grateful if you joined the early test group.

You can register, appear on the map as a local participant, and help people who are far away from the graves of their loved ones.

Even if you do not want to participate directly, please share this idea with someone who might understand its importance — people who moved abroad, families living far from their hometowns, or anyone who cares about cemetery preservation and respectful grave care.

Thank you for any feedback, support, or sharing.