As requested by several list members, I am posting responses to my question about "Methods used to fix broken gravestones" and preservation methods. I am also sending this information to several other mailing list I am on. Please be patient. I have been given several useful websites and personal experience replies. They all have educated me on how I need to go about accomplishing a task that I have committed myself to. I am using the copy and paste system to post the replies I have gotten, so I apologize now for the indentation marks that will appear. THIS IS HOW IT ALL STARTED: I made a commitment to myself today, and now I need advice and help to try to see this thing through. While walking through a the cemetery today where we buried my dad a few weeks ago, it saddened me to see how many "old" grave markers were broken and laying in pieces on the ground. Some of these markers are dated back to the early 1800's. I know for a fact that there are no family members left to tend to some of these markers that are fastly ruining. I have spoken to a couple of funeral homes and all they want to do is sell me new markers! Ha! Something I in no way can even began to afford. Does anybody have any idea what I would use to put these markers back together? Or any suggestions on maybe building a frame to set them back up in? There is no problem going into this particular cemetery and doing this maintance work as far as permission from anybody. I have already checked on that. Some of the broken markers are of my ancestors. I also want to do some preventive measures to insure that this sort of breakage is not going to happen to some of the other old markers that are now beginning to lean. I have enlisted help from some other people to raise the markers and pour concrete under them to level them up. I just need suggestions on how to put some of the broken ones back together. Any ideas or suggestions is greatly appreciated. *** here are a few of the responses I got. THANKS EVERYBODY FOR GETTING ME GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! *** TexasSaving Graves, located at http://www.savinggraves.com, supports and encourages the protection, restoration, and preservation of endangered cemeteries. Visitors can find local information on cemetery protection law, as well as current issues related to endangered cemeteries. In the past week, we have added the following resources: Gerron Hite at the Texas Historical Commission ocassionally leads workshops in gravestone repair; contact him to see if thre's any workshops coming up in your vacinity: <mailto:[email protected]> <http://www.thc.state.tx.us/Gerron.html> One book that Gerron and others continue to recommend is _ Landscapes of Memories -- A Guide for Conserving Historic Cemeteries: Repairing Tombstones_. You can order it directly from the Government of Ontario, Canada, Minister of Citizenry, Culture and Recreation: <http://www.gov.on.ca:80/MCZCR/english/culdiv/heritage/memories.htm> Online info can be found at several sites. This list is certainly not complete: <http://www.gravestonestudies.org/preservation.htm> <http://members.aol.com/ctgravenet/dosdonts.htm> http://www.savinggraves.com/ would have some of the different states' info...and laws.....good luck and God speed on your project... I have seen old, broken stones preserved by embedding them flat on the ground in a cement base the size and shape of the grave. That way there is no problem with the stone's falling over or getting knocked over again. *****Regarding imbedding old broken tombstones in concrete: If the old stone is the material that I call sandstone, the white colored stone that when you rub your finger across it feels like sandpaper, then by no means have it lying flat with the face up. The stone will be unreadable in a very short time if left face-up. It will just erode away. Make your casting and get it all imbedded and then stand it erect like regular tombstones. Marble and granite will last better if turned face-up than this material. The old gray slate like material also erodes pretty fast if left face-up. Epoxy cement seems to work pretty well for putting the puzzle back together. Bill This is a subject very close to my heart also! For about six years I have been trying to reclaim (from nature and neglect) a cemetery that about 53 to 60 good people are buried. This graveyard also has stones dating back to the early 1800's to 1943. I have for the last year taken every opportunity to learn all that I can about restoration of gravestones. And like every thing else everyone has their own opinion. One thing that everyone does agree on, is to do only what is necessary to preserve the stone from further deterioration. You should first attempt to determine what kind of stone, that the headstone is. In my case most are sandstone and soapstone, which as they age become very easy to damage. You can rub you fingers on them and the surface will just come off!! I have two headstones that are about five tall, that are broken in at least two places each. These two stones present my greatest challenge. If your stones are "not", Granite or Marble are something as hard....be careful. I am using aluminum angle iron cut to length, on the edges of the tall headstones. I tie two lengths of rubber coated wire top and bottom to press the angle iron firmly against the edges. This should keep the taller stones from breaking apart due to shifts in the base. I think that you would be better off to use about six inches of gravel vs. putting down cement to stabilize the base. Again it depends on the make up of the stone, but trying to use cement to patch or strengthen, from what I've learned is not a good thing. Using Epoxy to repair a crack must be done with the smallest amount of Epoxy that you can. Its best for the stone not to put Anything that has chemicals in its makeup on or in the stone. Depending on the thickness or condition of the stone and if you feel comfortable in doing so, you might try to use Fiberglass or Teflon rods to hold the pieces together. Unless you have the above mentioned Marble or Granite, don't use anything except water and a soft brush to clean a stone. I will as soon as I can afford to, have some pieces of Plexeglass cut to size and attach this to a frame, built above the headstone to slow the cracking of the stones caused by rain water and in the winter, water that freezes in the cracks. There is an old cemetery (and old church) in Conway S.C. that has had a lot of stones damaged by vandals. They hired a proffessional to fix the stones. One thing that was done to (help)prevent future damage was to have several thick pieces of Plexaglass surround the stone. Nothing touching the stone! I talked with the Director of the Horry County S.C. Historical Comm. recently and this appears to have stopped people damage. Again the above is things that i've found out, from a few people who I think know what they are talking about. And things that i've tried. Vicki: My GGG Grandmothers was buried in Rutherford Co NC in 1851. Her grave stone either fell or was knocked over about 60 years ago. My Great uncle had a form made approx. 3 inches larger than the stone all the way around with 2'X6' except the top there which was an oval to mach the stone. They put some wire in the bottom, poured cement with pea gravel in about half way and then laid the broken grave stones in the concrete and then finished pouring cement around the stone. They also poured a cement base and set the repaired stone in the base. It looks as good now as it did 60 years ago. Jim Haynes PS: The form can be used over and over if you have more then one broken stone. Now days Home Depot sells cement ready mix in small bags which will work very well. Greetings, What a project! I certainly wish you well and want to thank you for your interest. About 10 or more years ago, we visited several old centeries in Arkansas. The solution to preserving broken headstones there was to gather up the pieces, lay them flat on the ground and cement then together so now they were lying on top of the ground, rather than standing upright. My husband and his uncle did a few of them that we found needing repair, and while the results were not as beautiful as new monuments, the pieces of the old ones were preserved and fairly readable. To us that was much preferred to gathering up the pieces and throwing them away, which was what happened if no one cemented them down. I don't know if this practice is wide spread, but it certainly worked in a couple of little cemeteries back there. I've never heard of a professional way to repair headstones, but I'm sure there is one somewhere -- hopefully it would be economical as well as beautiful and functional. Bertha Hi Vickie, Saw your post and that is a nice thing you are trying to do. For what it's worth, one of my ancestors is buried in Hall Cemetery, Lone Oak, Hunt Co., TX. She died in 1871. Her marker had been broken at some point in time. Hope you can visualize how someone helped to keep the pieces together at least. They were fit together as best could be, then cement poured around them. The marker now lies flat on the grave and the cement part would probably almost cover the grave. It's much larger than the marker. I do not know how this would affect the marker in time, but I am glad that someone did this as otherwise evidence probably would have been long gone by now. Since you are going to have cement out there anyway, just thought I'd mention that. Good luck to you. Probably some kind soul like you helped to preserve my gggrandmother's marker. Some of it is missing as there is evidence of a verse or inscription on it, but broke off just above the base. Vicki One good way to save these graves is to write the information on them down and donate it to USGENWEB. They will be here forever and you will be a hero to many. As for repairing them I have had results drilling a small hole in the two pieces and inserting a piece of metal (rebar or threaded rod) in the holes to hold them together then mixing matching stucco to repair the crack that is left. The piece of metal does not have to penetrate more than 4 inches even on large pieces. They sell a diamond point concrete drill bit that will drill marble. The bits cost about $8.00. One suggestion is to drive two steel rods down on both sides. *** TAKE NOTE OF THIS ONE! IT'S A MAILING LIST**** I suggest that you subscribe to the following list for suggestions on how to proceed. This is a very active group and almost everyday new suggestions on care and maintenance of pioneer cemeteries is discussed. [email protected] Here are samples from todays e-mails: Hello All, The pictures of the Gibson County Workshop are now on our website at: http://members.sigecom.net/elasley/inpcrp/seminar-results.html The pictures are thumbnail size at the bottom of the page. Just click on the thumbnail to view the full size picture. There are some good shots of Walt at work, and pictures of the "new" stone that we discovered and matched up with the broken off base in the ground. Thanks to Lois Mauk for the pictures and Chawn Caniff for posting them on the website for me.