Pictures from the Universalist Cemetery Restoration Clinic - May 31, 2009

Here, with the help of a three-ton tripod and hoist, the thousand pound obelisk memorializing Lydia Munger is replaced on it's base.



Below is the base for the Lydia Munger obelisk. A flat stone a couple of inches larger on each side than the one seen here is missing and probably in someone's garden....



Here's a close-up of the information carved on the obelisk.



In another corner of the cemetery, Samuel Gregg's stone was broken, but since one-third of the stone could be buried and the inscription was still well-above ground-level, the broken base was hoisted out of the ground.



Thank goodness for the hoist because the remaining base of the stone was not easy to lift.



In yet another corner of the Universalist Cemetery, the markers for Rachel and Seneca Griest were repaired and erected. Both had to be cleaned, but look very nice, side by side, again. Here, Walt is mixing the epoxy. There are three different epoxies used for different types of rock and different kinds of breaks. There are a lot of "tricks to the trade".



The stone for Seneca Griest was broken in two. After the epoxy has set, color-matched mortar seals out the moisture. The mortar has to dry slowly, a damp cloth is wrapped around the patch and then wrapped in plastic wrap. After a few days, the mortar has dried thoroughly.



This picture below should be above. Walt used a damp sponge to carefully clean the excess mortar away. The marker for Rachel Griest received additional cleaning at our follow-up work party on Jun 13th.



Pictures thanks to Eileen Wilson.