How to Restore an Abandoned Cemetery
Locate a cemetery in need of tender loving care., Ascertain the ownership and responsibility for the cemetery., Seek permission to restore the gravestones and other cemetery areas., Form a restoration team., Outline your restoration project to the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Locate a cemetery in need of tender loving care.
Many decaying cemeteries are found in our once bustling townships in country and rural areas.
Some are roadside cemeteries and others are neglected plots behind long-abandoned churches in cities, towns and villages.
Perhaps there is one near you, or maybe you remember one from your regular vacation town.
Wherever it is, make sure it is easily accessible to you so that you can visit it regularly and without too much distance or other disincentives that might stop you from being an active part of its restoration.
If you are not a resident of the area in which the cemetery is located, this may cause red tape problems, but that will depend on the area and the responsible parties. -
Step 2: Ascertain the ownership and responsibility for the cemetery.
Orphaned cemeteries are still owned by someone or some entity and often it will be a municipal responsibility.
Start by asking at your local government office and move from there.
Even if a church appears to be responsible for a cemetery, sometimes the church has ceased to tend it through lack of funds or having moved its current cemetery to other places due to space constraints and nobody has thought to keep tending the old cemetery.
In many cases, there may be as few as 5
- 10 headstones and where there are few remnants of the past like this, people tend to forget.
You may find that there are trustees of cemeteries who are no longer able to keep up their "perpetual care" owing to age, death or funds having run out.
Be sure to find out who may have custody of any remaining cemetery records, plots or maps.
Older cemeteries often have no remaining record of who is buried there.
If the gravestones are still extant and legible, write down as much information as you can, take digital photographs of each grave marker, index them by full name, surname first, and give a copy to the local heritage/historical society, www.usgenweb.org and/or local library.
If you want to be really fancy, you can include GPS coordinates too.
Genealogists will thank you! Do some research on the Internet, in the local library, or at www.familysearch.org and in government offices. , This task may be performed either before or after you have formed a team to help with the restoration.
Sometimes permission can be the impetus for forming a group of devoted restorers; sometimes having the restoration team in place is the only motivation that will put in train the ability to get a permission for restoration.
Play it by ear and do some preliminary homework as to logistics of permission and team formation first. , The team's task will be to voluntarily restore the graves, gravestones and any other relevant cemetery features to their former glory.
Some of the sources from which you may be able to draw interested persons include:
Place of worship
- the congregation of a place of worship attached to a neglected cemetery may be interested in forming a restoration team, contributing members or even funds Historical and cultural societies Museum groups Local residents' organizations School groups and youth groups , In each case, you will need to talk the to those in charge of groups.
Although an in-depth restoration plan is best left to the restoration team and its own brainstorming meetings, you will need a blueprint to show others and convince them why the cemetery should be restored.
Keep it short and persuasive in tone.
Emphasize the historical, cultural, faith and community benefits of loving restoration of our human past. , This is about drawing up a plan.
The plan must include:
Assessment of the problems and things that need to be fixed Assessment of the costs to do restorative work Potential funding sources (government, events, raffles, donations, collections etc.) Responsibilities for managing the restoration team, any legal and insurance issues and its finances (hint, keep this as simple as possible and ask for pro bono legal and financial advice) Meeting dates for discussion, regular dates for restoration work, including that most mundane of needs
- feeding the volunteer helpers! , Many heritage and restoration grants are offered by government and local government.
Look at websites for national, regional and local governments in the areas of the arts, heritage, environmental restoration, cultural, and community services.
Contact your local politicians for information and support. , This means finding something of interest in the cemetery that will give you media coverage and draw in more interest and donations to the cause.
Ask these questions:
What is the cemetery known for? Do burials in the cemetery reflect a certain famous event in history? For example, deaths by disease during transportation to the colonies, deaths by a virulent flu ravaging a country, deaths from a shipwreck etc.? Is the cemetery neglected because of language or cultural changes? For instance, in Quebec, Canada, many English graveyards in the Eastern townships have been neglected as the social balance changes to more French-speaking inhabitants than English-speaking inhabitants.
Is there one famous, infamous or relatively important burial in the cemetery? , Set specific tasks for the team, such as:
Restoring fallen over headstones; Restoring misplaced headstones; Mending broken gravestones and statues; Remarking the borders around graves; Polishing gravestones; Weeding and replanting; Moss and lichen removal (unless your group considers this to add a pleasant touch) General tidy-up , When the restoration team has completed its restoration task, hold an event that will attract locals, history buffs, the curious and the media.
Have a commemorative plaque made for unveiling that specifies the reason for the restoration, the name of the restoration team, the date and any other pertinent details.
Send out press releases to the media.
Have snacks, drinks and music on hand to make this a real social occasion.
Ask the local mayor or some other local dignitary to give a speech. , Do not disband when the restoration is complete.
Continue to tend the cemetery.
Continue to hold events to attract funding and to maintain interest in the site.
Post information online to attract history buffs and link this with the local community's tourism industry.
Heritage tourism is a fast-growing industry and restored cemeteries are a definite part of such touristic activities. -
Step 3: Seek permission to restore the gravestones and other cemetery areas.
-
Step 4: Form a restoration team.
-
Step 5: Outline your restoration project to the relevant clubs
-
Step 6: places of worship
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Step 7: societies
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Step 8: Ascertain the level of decay and the type of work that needs to be done.
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Step 9: Seek government and municipal grants for restorative work.
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Step 10: Find a drawcard.
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Step 11: Direct the restoration team.
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Step 12: Hold an unveiling ceremony.
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Step 13: Maintain the restoration team.
Detailed Guide
Many decaying cemeteries are found in our once bustling townships in country and rural areas.
Some are roadside cemeteries and others are neglected plots behind long-abandoned churches in cities, towns and villages.
Perhaps there is one near you, or maybe you remember one from your regular vacation town.
Wherever it is, make sure it is easily accessible to you so that you can visit it regularly and without too much distance or other disincentives that might stop you from being an active part of its restoration.
If you are not a resident of the area in which the cemetery is located, this may cause red tape problems, but that will depend on the area and the responsible parties.
Orphaned cemeteries are still owned by someone or some entity and often it will be a municipal responsibility.
Start by asking at your local government office and move from there.
Even if a church appears to be responsible for a cemetery, sometimes the church has ceased to tend it through lack of funds or having moved its current cemetery to other places due to space constraints and nobody has thought to keep tending the old cemetery.
In many cases, there may be as few as 5
- 10 headstones and where there are few remnants of the past like this, people tend to forget.
You may find that there are trustees of cemeteries who are no longer able to keep up their "perpetual care" owing to age, death or funds having run out.
Be sure to find out who may have custody of any remaining cemetery records, plots or maps.
Older cemeteries often have no remaining record of who is buried there.
If the gravestones are still extant and legible, write down as much information as you can, take digital photographs of each grave marker, index them by full name, surname first, and give a copy to the local heritage/historical society, www.usgenweb.org and/or local library.
If you want to be really fancy, you can include GPS coordinates too.
Genealogists will thank you! Do some research on the Internet, in the local library, or at www.familysearch.org and in government offices. , This task may be performed either before or after you have formed a team to help with the restoration.
Sometimes permission can be the impetus for forming a group of devoted restorers; sometimes having the restoration team in place is the only motivation that will put in train the ability to get a permission for restoration.
Play it by ear and do some preliminary homework as to logistics of permission and team formation first. , The team's task will be to voluntarily restore the graves, gravestones and any other relevant cemetery features to their former glory.
Some of the sources from which you may be able to draw interested persons include:
Place of worship
- the congregation of a place of worship attached to a neglected cemetery may be interested in forming a restoration team, contributing members or even funds Historical and cultural societies Museum groups Local residents' organizations School groups and youth groups , In each case, you will need to talk the to those in charge of groups.
Although an in-depth restoration plan is best left to the restoration team and its own brainstorming meetings, you will need a blueprint to show others and convince them why the cemetery should be restored.
Keep it short and persuasive in tone.
Emphasize the historical, cultural, faith and community benefits of loving restoration of our human past. , This is about drawing up a plan.
The plan must include:
Assessment of the problems and things that need to be fixed Assessment of the costs to do restorative work Potential funding sources (government, events, raffles, donations, collections etc.) Responsibilities for managing the restoration team, any legal and insurance issues and its finances (hint, keep this as simple as possible and ask for pro bono legal and financial advice) Meeting dates for discussion, regular dates for restoration work, including that most mundane of needs
- feeding the volunteer helpers! , Many heritage and restoration grants are offered by government and local government.
Look at websites for national, regional and local governments in the areas of the arts, heritage, environmental restoration, cultural, and community services.
Contact your local politicians for information and support. , This means finding something of interest in the cemetery that will give you media coverage and draw in more interest and donations to the cause.
Ask these questions:
What is the cemetery known for? Do burials in the cemetery reflect a certain famous event in history? For example, deaths by disease during transportation to the colonies, deaths by a virulent flu ravaging a country, deaths from a shipwreck etc.? Is the cemetery neglected because of language or cultural changes? For instance, in Quebec, Canada, many English graveyards in the Eastern townships have been neglected as the social balance changes to more French-speaking inhabitants than English-speaking inhabitants.
Is there one famous, infamous or relatively important burial in the cemetery? , Set specific tasks for the team, such as:
Restoring fallen over headstones; Restoring misplaced headstones; Mending broken gravestones and statues; Remarking the borders around graves; Polishing gravestones; Weeding and replanting; Moss and lichen removal (unless your group considers this to add a pleasant touch) General tidy-up , When the restoration team has completed its restoration task, hold an event that will attract locals, history buffs, the curious and the media.
Have a commemorative plaque made for unveiling that specifies the reason for the restoration, the name of the restoration team, the date and any other pertinent details.
Send out press releases to the media.
Have snacks, drinks and music on hand to make this a real social occasion.
Ask the local mayor or some other local dignitary to give a speech. , Do not disband when the restoration is complete.
Continue to tend the cemetery.
Continue to hold events to attract funding and to maintain interest in the site.
Post information online to attract history buffs and link this with the local community's tourism industry.
Heritage tourism is a fast-growing industry and restored cemeteries are a definite part of such touristic activities.
About the Author
Ashley Jackson
Writer and educator with a focus on practical crafts knowledge.
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