u/DCtheCemeteryMan

This one cleaned up so well. Great job by my boss
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, here is the conserved grave marker for Eleanor Ellerbe. And she was a mother 9 times. You’d think those kids would be good enough to get her a headstone that says more than just “Our Mother” 🤣. I’m sure she was greatly loved. Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there.
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC

Today’s conserved stone, the grave marker of Madison Farr Ellerbe. Husband of Eleanor LaCoste and son of Thomas and Caroline Ellerbe. More great work by the team.
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC

Today’s conserved stone, the grave marker of 25 y.o. Clarence William Wells.
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68466649

I don’t know if this will translate but I thought it might be interesting to walk through each step of resetting a die on base marker.

1. The before picture as it was when we found it
2. I pulled up the base to find it installed on top of a bed of concrete
3. I leveled out the concrete with marble rock and sand (sorry no picture) and reinstalled the base on top of the concrete. Made sure that the base was perfectly level (again no picture, duh)
4. Put down some monument setting compound. Laid it out on the interior of where the die sits
5. In each corner put a small piece of lead wedge (in the red circles)
6. Mixed up some epoxy and put a few dabs along the center of where the die will be placed
7. Replaced the die and made sure it was centered on the base. Also applied some downward pressure while gently wiggling the die so it would set in the epoxy and setting compound
8. Trimmed off the excess monument setting compound
9. Now we have an 80 year old marker that looks like new
   📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC

We have about 50 stones we (there are 3 of us working on this project and we each contribute) are working on in this current project. Here is just a teaser of one that went up this week. I will try and post more as we get them done over the next 10 days.
📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC

For anyone interested in learning about cemetery conservation, Atlas Preservation has announced dates and locations for this years 48 State Tour. And if you are in Charlotte come meet us on June 11th.

Here are the before and after pictures of the grave markers for Martha Lucinda “Pate” Finlayson and her husband Murdoch Uriah Finlayson. Unfortunately both of these markers were previously “repaired” by setting them in concrete. Now because of that we cannot set them back upright. But we have them looking as good as we can.

📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC

My boss pulled up this small base to the grave marker of Henry Thomas Patrick to relevel it and what a crazy find on the very bottom. There was the carved inscriptions for two Jesse Baker’s. I can’t find any information on the Baker’s so if you want to fall down a rabbit hole please feel free.

📍Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, Cheraw, SC.

Continuing from yesterday’s post, here are 4 more examples of some recent historic stone conservation work we completed.

📍Sunset Cemetery, Shelby, NC

Thought I would throw up a couple of the recent stones we fixed

📍Sunset Cemetery, Shelby, NC