Cemetery Preservation

 

http://www.graveyardgroomer.com/about-walt.htm

I attended a Cemetery Preservation Seminar this past weekend, May 6 – 7, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  I took some photos and video of our instructor, John Walters, tombstone restoration expert from Connersville, Indiana.  All the photo represent what we were taught at the seminar.   Some  photos are from Graveyard Groomer website.

John Walters, tombstone restoration expert from Connersville, Indiana gave seminar participants a tour of a cemetery during “Cemetery Preservation Seminar", May 6, 2011

Here is tombstone that has broken in half

Here is tombstone that is unleveled

John Walters cleaning marble tombstone with nylon brush

John Walters showing the difference of tombstone after it is cleaned

Tombstone that Kathy Edgington and Wendy Bloomhower were cleaning before photo was taken.  You can see some of the areas that we cleaned. 

Dennie and Wendy Bloomhower standing in front of the headstone that he half way completed.  Looks nice and clean.

Kathy and Wendy is front of the tombstone that we cleaned half way. 

John lifting a broken tombstone

John getting ready to mix the compounds to adhere the tombstone together

John making sure that the tombstone will fit into the slot he prepared

Determining if these two pieces go together

Bracing the stone while it sets

Filling in the tombstone after it has set and is stable

John using his wooden bats to pamper down the 1/2 peat gravel and 1/2 sand mixture under the tombstone and then adding the top soil.

John teaching about the different recipes for repairing tombstone.  I remember one recipe was 1-4-8  (1 part Portland cement, 4 part hydrated lime, 8 parts dry sand)