After much discussion on this list about cemetery restoration I thought for those of you who have an interest in it, you would appreciate reading a story in today's Ohio paper. This is the little town where I moved to many years ago from Rhode Island. It was founded by the people who moved here from Granville, Massachusetts. I have always said if I had to leave New England I'm glad it was to this part of Ohio. It is very much like a New England town. I hope you enjoy the article. Nancy Article published May 14, 2006 Hoffman retires from Granville cemetery restoration board Former archivist brought decrepit cemetery back to life By BRIAN MILLER Advocate Reporter GRANVILLE -- The tombstones in Granville's Old Colony Burying Ground stand like silent sentries of Granville's past, old soldiers speaking volumes about the 200-year history of the town and the people who built its first homes and started its first businesses. They stand erect and firm on the grassy cemetery grounds, mainly because of the work of Florence Hoffman, a retired Denison University archivist whose passion for the restoration of the cemetery has become legendary in the community. This spring, after 15 years at the helm of the board of the historic cemetery, Hoffman retired, ending a chapter that took the cemetery from a decrepit state to its present beauty. "She was the driving force behind the restoration," said Mike Frazier, the board's clerk-treasurer since its founding. "She did it for the good of the community and didn't look to get any personal credit." For decades before the restoration, the cemetery was overgrown with weeds. Many stones had fallen down and were broken or buried. Efforts to restore it had fallen short. In about 1991 Hoffman, working with other members of the Granville Historical Society, went to the Granville Township trustees to ask for seed money for the project. Ninety-one thousand dollars had been made available from an insurance settlement from a fire that burned the Opera House. "We were distressed about the cemetery," Hoffman said. "It was neglected because no money had been allocated." She thought getting the funding was long shot. But the request was approved. In the ensuing years, with financial help from both the township and village and numerous volunteers, 500 to 600 stones have been restored and pathways and benches have been added. "If Flo had not become interested and persisted in pursuing her vision, it would not have happened," said Rob Drake, who volunteered on cemetery work crews and has taken her position as head of the board. "The way it looks today is a result of her determination." Chief among her accomplishments was locating Fannin-Lehner Preservation Consultants, the Massachusetts firm whose historical qualifications and technical expertise have anchored the restoration, Frazier says. Hoffman organized volunteers for the restoration work and for tours, said Frazier. Sandy Nihiser has led ghost tours, in which re-enactors wearing period costumes impersonate people buried in the cemetery. "Flo wants people to know the history of the village," Nihiser said. "It's a very nice history." The cemetery -- which is on the National Registry of Historic Places -- is a tool to teach history in a town that treasures its past, says Jim Fannin, owner of the consulting firm working on the restoration. From the gravestones you learn about life in the early 1800s -- how long people lived and what they died of, he said. "It sends a message that the village considers its history important." Despite Hoffman's attempt to downplay her contribution, the trustees and Granville Village Council honored her with commendations. And a marker in her honor will be placed in one of the seating areas in the cemetery. In brief remarks to the trustees at their meeting last week, she prodded them not to let the restoration efforts fade. "One person can't do the cemetery," she said. "It's too big. A group of people brought it back from the brink of extinction. Don't let it go back."