How To's: Material Preservation

The preservation of the actual site and the gravestones within is often what people think about first when they pass an old burial site. But the biggest problem with the actual Material Preservation of an old burial site is the WHO. Who will volunteer the time and labor to restore the old pieces of a nearly forgotten site?

Truthfully, the labor isn't really that hard, and in nearly all cases the site isn't as forgotten about as people tend to think. In most cases the sites are ignored, not forgotten, and once a site is re-born through restoration and consistent maintenance it is often rapidly recovered in the memory of the community. So suddenly, the WHO could mean just about anyone out there who is simply willing to give it a try.

Material Preservation of an old site requires more than shovels and levels, however. It first requires the ability to examine a site with a preservationist's eye. One should look at a site not with an attempt at "fixing it", but with an attempt at making it last forever without altering its original nature. This means some very common sense points which must become part of the way you assess the condition of a site.

Here are some very good things to remember:

• If it isn't broke, don't fix it. If you see a stone that is "leaning a little" it has probably been leaning that way for the past five decades. Unless there are visible signs of damage or if there is an obvious potential for further damage, it will probably be fine for another decade or so.



• Though they are made of stone, treat them like eggs. Everything you do to a stone must be considered carefully before you start.



• Use only distilled water. Don't touch the stones with anything unless you are one hundred percent positive of what its effects will be. This means wearing gloves so sweat will not get on the stones, using wooden handle soft brushes (never wire and never plastic handles)



• Never do anything that can not be undone. No bolts, no epoxies, no concrete.



• Attend a workshop. I've been through a workshop with AGS, and it was more enlightening than any guide to restoration could ever be. Each stone is a completely different set of circumstance to consider in restoration and conservation and the opportunity to work with someone looking over your shoulder will increase your knowledge and abilities.

There are very specific methods for straightening stones, resetting stones into bases, and even cleaning stones. None of these methods are particularly difficult to learn and will make the whole restoration process go much smoother.

There are several good guides to some basic preservation and restoration techniques available at the Centre Furnace Mansion.