Cemetery Conservation

This project is about saving historic wooden artifacts in cemeteries. Cemeteries are important repositories of local and national history, valued not only for the stories they tell, but also for their emotional and civic connections.

NCPTT has received the PTT grant product “Wooden Artifacts in Cemeteries: A Reference Manual,” submitted by the Historic Preservation Commission; the City of Aspen, Colorado, and Anthony & Associates.

NCPTT recently recorded its first podcast. In it, conservator Jason Church talks about NCPTT’s cemetery monument conservation initiative and about his experiences growing up that led him to the field of cemetery conservation.

NCPTT’s Mary Striegel and Jason Church completed a progress report, “Comparative Study of Commercially Available Cleaners for Use on Federally-Issued Headstones” for the Department of Veteran Affairs National Cemetery Administration.

NCPTT will broadcast its first telnet course, “Essentials in Cemetery Monument Care,” on Jan. 30, 2007 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST.

Here are nine tips for cemetery preservation that I have learned.

Stace Miller, a longtime undergraduate intern at NCPTT, received a B.S. in chemistry and an B.S. in Math from Northwestern State University of Louisiana on May 9.

NCPTT held its Southeast Cemetery Monument Conservation Workshop at St. Michaels Cemetery in Pensacola, Fla., on Oct. 23-25.

NCPTT’s comparative research on cleaners for cemetery headstones will be featured as part of the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute’s workshop on microbial colonization of stone. The workshop will be held April 20-22, 2009 in Washington, DC.

We do not advocate the use of shaving cream for investigating inscriptions on stone. The shaving cream has natural emollients for softening the skin. These emollients have oils and moisture holding agents that can have detrimental effects on the stone.

NCPTT’s Jason Church presented the results of recent research on the scaling and deterioration of granite monuments.

NCPTT graduate intern Caitlin O’Grady has begun a study to examine scale that has been widely found on granite headstones.

Safe Hoist Operation for Lifting Stone When a stone needs to be removed or set back in place, lifting is required.  A hoist or crane can be used whenever the stone cannot be moved manually.  So, it is important to keep safety in mind when operating a crane or hoist.  You should be familiar with the ...

Materials Conservator Jason Church demonstrates how to properly reset stone grave marker.

English Español Trataremos de enseñar los procedimientos básicos para recolocar una lápida de piedra. Hay dos cosas importantes que recordar. Lo primero es asegurarse de la seguridad personal y lo segundo es no hacer daño a la lápida como tal. Estas son estructuras delicadas pero pesadas y se debe de ejercitar una gran cantidad de cuidado y ...

This summer, NCPTT, the Tulane School of Architecture, the Preservation Trades Network, and Save Our Cemeteries hosted training on treatments for above ground cemeteries damaged during Hurricane Katrina. Topics included masonry applications, preservation technology, limewash, appropriate treatments for tombs, and a history of the cemeteries of New Orleans. This video was produced by Tulane University.

NCPTT, in partnership with Monroe County History Center at Indiana University, will conduct a workshop focused on the techniques and knowledge needed to preserve ornamental ironwork in an architectural setting, October 7-8, 2011 in Bloomington, Ind..  The class will be split between classroom lectures and in the field hands-on activities. For more information contact Jason ...

Mary Striegel and Jason Church conducted visits to the Antietam National Battlefield and the Harper’s Ferry Conservation Center immediately after the TELNPS course.

Jason Church began the second phase of this joint study with the National Cemetery Administration.

NCPTT and the NPS Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) are partnering with the Veterans Administration’s National Cemetery Administration to complete cleaning treatment studies on the U.S. Arsenal Monument in Historic Congressional Cemetery. Based on research and training by NCPTT’s Jason Church, HPTC staff will undertake intermittent misting cleaning of the Arsenal Monument during November. This ...

On September 20-21, 2012 NCPTT’s materials conservator Jason Church taught two cemetery monument conservation workshops as part of the Kentucky Heritage Council annual Historic Preservation Conference. Church’s contribution to the well attended and diverse annual conference was entitled “Our History Rests Here: Preservation and Restoration of Historic Cemeteries, Part 1 and Part 2″. The first day ...

The purpose of this event was to educate people about the differences in cast and wrought iron and preservation/restoration methods for each type of material. This workshop proved useful to anyone who cares for historic buildings, parks, or cemeteries.

$695 per participant. Topics Will Include: Condition Assessments, Conservation Ethics, Protection, Cleaning, Stone Loss Repairs, Bases and Resetting, Adhesion & Reinforced Repair, Consolidation.

NCPTT and the City of New London will deliver the sixth annual New England Cemetery Monument Conservation workshop on October 7-9, 2008, in New London, Conn.

Many fallen or sunken grave markers are too large or weigh too much to be reset by hand. For these markers a mechanical hoisting or lifting system must be used. There are many types of lifting systems in use from very complex cranes and truck mounted hydraulic booms to less complex gantries and tripod hoists. ...

Jason Church and Stace Miller presented results of NCPTT research at the annual meeting of the American Institute for Conservation in Denver Colorado, April 21-24.

NCPTT recently provided technical assistance to the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport regarding concerns about the condition of several archeological copper objects associated with the Gahagan burials that were excavated in the 1930s.

NCPTT has partnered with the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center to provide for the assessment, repair, and conservation of the Arsenal and Macomb Monuments located within Congressional Cemetery.

A new Perkin Elmer Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectrometric microscope was recently installed in the NCPTT research labs.

NCPTT’s held its sixth annual Cemetery Monument Conservation workshop October 7-9, 2008, in New London, Connecticut. Twenty-six registrants participated in a variety of hands-on sessions.

NCPTT and the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office hosted a half-day Cemetery Monument Conservation Basics Workshop in Morris, Illinois. on May 17, 2008.

NCPTT is providing consultation to Arlington National Cemetery on maintenance and repair of the “Tomb of the Unknowns.”

NCPTT researchers, in partnership with masonry experts from NPS Historic Preservation Training Center, recently completed a study to develop treatments for use on marble monuments in Historic Congressional Cemetery.

Topics covered in the workshop include grave marker cleaning, basic resetting, materials identification, and ethical issues.

The Department of Veteran Affairs agreed to fund NCPTT’s two-year continuation of the comparative study of commercially available cleaners for use on federally issued headstones.

This post outlines the contents of the poster presentations at the Nationwide Cemetery Preservation Summit which will be held from October 19-21, 2009 in Nashville, TN.

Schedule and abstracts for the Nationwide Cemetery Preservation Summit from October 19-21, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. Register before September 11, 2009 for $299 ($399 thereafter). Key sessions are expected to include Archeology, Mapping and Documentation, Landscapes, Engineering Challenges, Issues in National Cemeteries, and Materials Conservation.

The Nationwide Cemetery Preservation Summit will be held October 19-21, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. The program will feature contributed papers, a poster session, and an optional half day of field sessions and workshops.

A live webcast of the Nationwide Cemetery Preservation Summit was streamed on October 19. 2009. View the webcast.

Hola, en este video le estaremos enseñando los procedimientos básicos para limpiar lápidas de piedra. Hay dos cosas que se deben de recordar: lo primero es que siempre hay que asegurarse de la seguridad personal y lo segundo es no hacer daño a la lápida como tal.

Graveyards can be excellent resources for studying art, language, social and family history, cultural landscapes, and even the natural sciences.

Landscape maintenance is a critical element in historic cemetery preservation.  Yet often the landscape is neglected or improperly maintained, resulting in damaged historic features and a loss of historic landscape character. NCPTT presented a webinar addressing landscape maintenance in historic cemeteries on April 7, 2010. Course instructor Jason Church discussed sensitive maintenance practices for cemetery landscape ...

The Joint Readiness Training Center and Ft. Polk hosted their first Heritage Day Celebration on Nov. 3, 2007 at Ft. Polk, La.

NCPTT, in partnership with Monroe County History Center at Indiana University, conducted a workshop focused on the techniques and knowledge needed to preserve ornamental ironwork in an architectural setting. This workshop begin with an opening lecture session at 6:30 p.m. by NCPTT’s Materials Conservator Jason Church on Friday, October 14th at the History Center in Bloomington, Indiana. ...

Materials Conservator Jason Church demonstrates how to properly repair an iron fence.

International Cemetery Preservation Summit Niagara Falls, New York October 8-10, 2013 NCPTT is pleased to announce a International Cemetery Preservation Summit, to be held October 8-10, 2013. The Summit will feature wide ranging preservation technologies to address the broad spectrum of issues found in cemeteries and other cultural heritage sites. View current call for Abstracts Key sessions will ...

NCPTT and the Department of Veteran Affairs, National Cemetery Administration has released the interim report entitled, Comparative Study of Commercially Available Cleaners for use on Federally-issued Headstones.

Near-surface geophysical techniques, including ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry, electrical resistivity, and electromagnetic conductivity, have become primary tools in the detection of unmarked human interments.

A critical and long-standing challenge in the preservation field has been finding unmarked graves.

NCPTT recently provided a daylong consultation with David Patterson and Brett Smith of Sipapu Cemetery Services.

Historic Congressional Cemetery’s Arsenal and Macombe Monuments have been the focus of NCPTT’s recent research into cleaning technologies for grave markers.

NCPTT was awarded the Harriette Merrifield Forbes Award for its Cemetery Preservation Initiative.

The Department of Veteran Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, has entered into a new interagency agreement with NCPTT to continue the evaluation of commercially available cleaners for use on federally-issued headstones.

NCPTT will make excerpts from its Jan. 30 Tel-Net course “Essentials in Cemetery Monument Care,” available online.

Materials Research Chief Mary Striegel and Materials Conservator Jason Church conduct a TEL NPS course “Essentials in Cemetery Monument Care.”

Materials Research Chief Mary Striegel and Materials Conservator Jason Church conduct a TEL NPS course “Essentials in Cemetery Monument Care” broadcast on January 30, 2007.

This course emphasizes sound maintenance techniques for cemetery and commemorative monuments that are sustainable, cyclic, non-invasive, and do no harm. The course will address documentation, maintenance plans, stone deterioration, cleaning, and resetting headstones.

NCPTT is soliciting oral and poster presentations that focus on research and innovation in cemetery conservation and preservation for the NCPTT’s Nationwide Cemetery Preservation Summit to be held in Nashville, Tenn., October 19-21, 2009.

NCPTT has been granted a cultural diversity intern for summer 2008 through the NPS Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program.

The cemetery, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was officially opened 1847 and its fence and walls were added in 1905.

Mary Striegel and Jason Church of NCPTT conducted a comprehensive condition assessment and documentation of the Macomb and the U.S. Arsenal Monuments in Washington, DC’s, historic Congressional Cemetery.

This report provides information and progress on the comparative study of commercially available cleaners for federally issued headstones.

NCPTT, in partnership with the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office, will offer a cemetery monument conservation basics workshop May 2012, in Lake Geneva, Wisc.  The training is targeted to the nonprofessional, such as church sextons, genealogists, cemetery grounds workers, and family members. This one-day workshop will focus on cemetery documentation, condition assessment, master plans, and proper ...

NCPTT produced two five-minute video clips on proper techniques for cleaning and resetting cemetery headstones as companion pieces to its recent TELNPS course, “Essentials in Cemetery Monument Care.”

Materials Conservator Jason Church demonstrates how to properly clean a stone grave marker.

NCPTT’s Jason Church participated in a session on cemetery preservation planning and maintenance as part of Saving Places 2008, Colorado Preservation, Inc.’s annual historic preservation conference.

NCPTT’s Jason Church conducted fieldwork as part of a comparative study of commercially available cleaners for use on federally issued headstones.

NCPTT’s Jason Church is conducting site visits in preparation for the 2008 Cemetery Monument Conservation Basics Course to be held in Morris, Illinois, in June and the 2008 Cemetery Monument Conservation Workshop to be held in New London, Connecticut in October.

Jason Church and David W. Morgan represented NCPTT at the Louisiana Preservation Alliance annual meeting, held May 5, 2007 in Monroe, Louisiana.

On Feb. 1, NCPTT offered technical advice to the Historic Preservation Training Center about the cleaning and repair of 165 cenotaphs located in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

NCPTT will hold two TelNPS courses in January. The Essentials in Cemetery Monument Care program will air on Jan. 17 from 1 to 3 EST.

NCPTT held two TelNPS courses in January. The Essentials in Cemetery Monument Care program aired on Jan. 17 and featured cemetery and commemorative monument maintenance techniques that are sustainable, cyclic, non-invasive and do no harm.

There are many good resources for more information about cemetery preservation, including books, nonprofit organizations, and Internet sites.

NCPTT recently released Spanish-language translations of its “Basic Stone Monument Cleaning” and “Basic Resetting Vol. 1″ instructional videos.

NCPTT is expanding its training in Cemetery Monument Conservation to three levels in 2006: Basic, Introductory, and Advanced.

On September 29, NCPTT and the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program held a Cemetery Preservation Basics Workshop in Hot Springs, Ark.

Cemetery Monument Restoration Workshop at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 4, 2010 from 9:00AM to 4:00PM. $30 registration fee.

On June 12-14, 2008, in Savannah, Georgia, NCPTT and the Georgia State Municipal Cemeteries Association will host a half-day Cemetery Monument Conservation Basics workshop.

Jason Church and Bianca Garcia conducted a Cemetery Monument Conservation Basics workshop at City Cemetery No. 1, San Antonio, Texas on June 16, 2007.

NCPTT will hold its first Cemetery Landscape Preservation Workshop on Sept. 16-17, 2008, in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

This webinar will cover the basics needed for Cemetery Documentation. The talk will run one hour of lecture with a following half hour for questions and answers. Topics covered in this talk will include an introduction to documentation surveys and forms followed by an overview of definitions general needed in cemetery documentation. Definitions covered are ...

NCPTT, in partnership with the Historic Natchez Foundation and Copiah-Lincoln Community College, will offer a cemetery monument conservation basics workshop December 1, 2012, in Natchez, Mississippi.  The training is targeted to the nonprofessional, such as church sextons, genealogists, cemetery grounds workers, and family members. The workshop registration is $25 per person, this price includes a ...

On December 1, 2012 NCPTT’s materials conservator Jason Church taught a one day cemetery conservation workshop in Natchez, Mississippi. This workshop was the first of a series being developed by the  Historic Natchez Foundation with the  Copiah-Lincoln Community College.  Copiah-Lincoln Community College hopes this series of preservation related workshops will build interest in a developing ...

NCPTT, in partnership with the Historic Natchez Foundation  will offer a cemetery monument conservation basics workshop May 11, 2013, in Natchez, Mississippi.  The training is targeted to the nonprofessional, such as church sextons, genealogists, cemetery grounds workers, and family members. The workshop registration is $25 per person, this price includes a box lunch. The lecture portion ...

The scenic Silver Terrace Cemetery was the setting for NCPTT’s Southwest Regional Cemetery Conservation Workshop held in Virginia City, Nev. Sept. 26-28, 2006.

NCPTT is moving forward with the second phase of a two-year study to evaluate the effectiveness of commercial chemical cleaners for the removal of biological growth and dirt from federally issued headstones.

NCPTT has completed filming and production of a new video about the care and preservation of iron fence work found in cemeteries.

Call for presentations and posters, International Cemetery Preservation Summit NCPTT is soliciting oral and poster presentations that focus on research and innovation in cemetery conservation and preservation for the NCPTT’s International Cemetery Preservation Summit to be held in Niagara Falls, NY, October 8-10, 2013. Topics for presentation may include recent developments in technologies, unique treatments, and creative ...

Caleb Johnson recently joined NCPTT’s materials research program as a graduate assistant.

Calculating the Weight of Stone This is a guide intended to help anyone get the approximate weight of a stone without having to use a scale.  The only required tools are a calculator, tape measure, pencil, and paper.  Using the above tools allows the user to safely calculate weight prior to lifting stone with a hoist ...

In 2004, the Department of Veteran Affairs National Cemetery Administration turned to NCPTT when it wanted advice on chemical cleaners for their marble headstones. This began and partnership and extensive research on the subject of commercially available cleaners for removing biological growth and general soiling from marble headstones. This week, NCPTT’s Mary Striegel reported the results ...

Materials Research Chief Mary Striegel and Materials Conservator Jason Church conduct a TEL NPS course “Essentials in Cemetery Monument Care.”

This course emphasizes sound maintenance technqiues for historic iron fences. These resources could be located around cemetery markers, commemorative monuments, or architectural features.

The purpose of this project is to capture the traditions surrounding burial practices of African-American and Creole community members in the Cane River area to preserve this information for future generations.

NCPTT’s Cultural Diversity Intern, Candida D’Avanzo, is studying African American burial traditions in the Cane River region.

The work, which is funded by the National Cemetery Administration, began in Oct. 2006 and is expected to continue into FY 2008.

NCPTT, in partnership with the Canadian Ministry of Culture, will host a two and a half day conference in Niagra Falls, NY-Ontario, Canada, July 2012.  The conference will include oral presentations, posters, and a half-day field session on the conservation of all aspects of cemetery care and conservation. The conference is open to conservation professionals, ...

NCPTT and the City of New London, Conn., will present the sixth annual Cemetery Monument Conservation workshop on October 7-9, 2008.

$695 per person. October 23-25, 2007.

NCPTT and the University of West Florida will host the Southeast Cemetery Monument Conservation Workshop on October 23-25 at St. Michaels Cemetery in Pensacola, Fla.

NCPTT held the Southeast Cemetery Monument Conservation Workshop at St. Michaels Cemetery, Pensacola, Florida on October 23-25, 2007.

San Antonio, TX · June 16, 2007. 9:00AM to 12:00 PM.