Graveyard & Cemetery Conservation & Preservation

Although graveyards and the stones in them have always held great historical significance, it has not been until the last couple of decades that they have achieved a greater respect from the general populous. With the growth in genealogy research, civil war and revolutionary war interests and an overall mission to reach a greater understanding of our roots, burial grounds have become a gold mine of otherwise lost and forgotten information.

Unfortunately time has taken its toll on our heritage etched in stone. What was once thought to be a nearly permanent material, has proved to be far from impervious to the many unforeseen factors in an outdoor environment. Acid rain, neglect, vandalism, general weathering, erosion, as well as the proliferation of land development and urban sprawl, have all played a significant roll in the destruction, and loss of context of our historic burial places.

We as a nation can not stop progress or undue the past, but we can make a concerted effort in an attempt to protect what remains of our history in stone. The premise of this website is to formulate a basic historical perspective on the history of memorials in Colonial America. In turn an understanding will be developed on the transformation which took place as we became an industrialized nation.

Gravestone conservation and historic stone preservation has become the art and science of preserving all we can of our heritage carved in stone. By conserving historic gravestones, we help preserve that stone for future generations and for ourselves see a glimpse of the past.

Internships and Apprenticeships

We're currently seeking people who would be interested in gravestone conservation internships, and apprenticeships who may eventually become employees.

This may be for just one project in your home region, or for the entire summer. Internships and apprenticeships may evolve into a full time position for the right person.

The majority of projects needing will be in the Connecticut area, but others are located throughout New England and beyond.

If you are interested, send an email to historicstone@msn.com with your resume or an outline of your background information. Please note your availability and region of interest.

Upcoming Events

Sculpture & Gravestone Preservation Workshop
West Rutland, Vermont, October 4-5, 2008. Read more

Cemetery Preservation and Conservation Workshop
Elizabethtown, NJ, October 11. Read more

All Upcoming Events

Southern US Gravestone Restoration Tour

This Fall, Jonathan Appell will be conducting a southern tour of gravestone and monument conservation workshops.
At each event held, attendees will learn how to safely clean, re-set badly leaning stones, perform stone epoxy repairs, and carry out all of the most common stone conservation treatments on gravestone and cemetery monuments.

At this point in time there are 4 definite workshops scheduled in Georgia, and 3 likely unconfirmed events in North Carolina. New locations and dates will be listed as soon as they are approved. If you are interested in hosting an additional workshop to be conducted in the southern region, please contact us.

Basic Gravestone & Cemetery Monument Conservation workshops:
- October 27, 2008 Columbus, GA
- October 29, 2008 Sandersville, GA
- October 31, 2008 Gainesville, GA
- November 3, 2008 Decatur, GA

We are filling them first come first serve. Read more