On May 16, the Greenbrier Historical Society is sponsoring a hands-on workshop in both the Old Stone and the Pointer Cemetery in Lewisburg to explain the dos and don’ts of gravestone cleaning and maintenance. It is hoped that some participants will want to continue this work in these and other significant cemeteries in our region. Many family and church-based cemetery committees are already doing this work. The Friends of Lewisburg’s Historic Cemeteries is a new group that will be forming after this first workshop. If there is enough interest, a second cleaning workshop will be offered this summer. Those who take this 101 workshop will be prepared for a later 201 workshop that will give instruction in correct methods for repairing and resetting stones.
Cleaning gravestones was once a heavy job but it’s been made much easier with the availability of D2, a biological cleaner that is sprayed on and does most of the work with minimal scrubbing. This product has actually been in use for many years from important monuments in Washington, DC, to priceless marble statutes in Italy. When used on gravestones, it is nothing short of miraculous to see dates, names and inscriptions appear from underneath layers of algae, moss and lichen as you can see from these before and after photographs.
Please join us for this fascinating and informative workshop May 16 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Lewisburg. The cost is $20 which includes a box lunch and a bucket of the right cleaning tools for you to work with that day and then take home. To register, call Toni at Greenbrier Historical Society 304-645-3398 or email museum@greenbrierhistorical.org.
