Last night after work, I headed over to my first meeting of the San Lorenzo Pioneer Cemetery Friends Group, otherwise known as SLZPCFG. (Try saying THAT five times fast.) This is a very informal group formed in 2010, with no dues, no formal membership paperwork, and no required number of donated hours. Their goal to restore the extremely dilapidated Pioneer Cemetery that was opened around 1864, and which is badly in need of restoration and preservation. Eventually they hope to open it to the public for tours, and are working on making it a state historic site.
By the time the meeting was over, I was almost drooling with anticipation. They have a licensed archaeologist in the group, and they are also in touch with various conservation professionals. Sometime in the near future (probably next year), they will be having workshops on how to clean, restore and preserve old headstones and other statuary found in the cemetery so that we can actually do it ourselves. Sweet!! This is the kind of thing I was hoping to encounter with this group, and it sounds like I won't be disappointed.
In the meantime, there's a cleanup day next weekend, and a fundraiser the following weekend. I've already volunteered for the fundraiser, and although next Saturday's schedule is crowded, I'm going to see if I can get over there for at least an hour to check it out and maybe help a bit. Since the cemetery is closed to the public right now (it's in such bad shape that it's actually dangerous in areas, and we are not allowed to use shovels or trowels, as we might accidentally cause a grave to collapse), I can't just go in and look around; I have to go when the gates are open and someone is there to supervise. So it will be worth taking the time to do that before the fundraiser. It will be open then as well, but I don't know if I'll have much chance of looking around.
Here are a few pictures of the cemetery. You can see why it needs friends!
Even the tombstones are leaning, right along with the weeds. And broken headstones are always sad, especially when they've been vandalized...
I don't think this tree was QUITE this big when it was planted. Maybe it wasn't even planted, maybe a bird brought the seed. Either way, it's a problem now.
Apparently the cemetery was in MUCH worse condition when they started in 2010, but between their efforts and the county stepping in to help periodically, it has been greatly improved. I'm looking forward to making my own impression here! :-)
Lucretia, that's so exciting! I'd love to do something like that... especially learning how to clean and restore the headstones.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely does look a little forlorn, but if that fence is any indication, it should be beautiful with a little help from its friends!
Well, I think they only published pics of the GOOD parts of the cemetery... I was told that in the beginning the grass was knee-high, and in places the suckers are still so bad you can't see the tombstones! But it does look like it will be lovely when everything is finally done. I can hardly wait to get started!! :-)
DeleteIt's amazing what a bit of know-how and determination can accomplish. One of the cemeteries that I take care of was restored last year and is now restored to its former glory. The broken markers in the San Lorenzo Pioneer Cemetery can be repaired and reset just as they were here. The fund raiser you all have planned is a good idea however, because you'll likely need a fair amount of it to have the burial ground restored professionally, which might be the best course of action. Good luck with your project and please keep us posted as things roll along.
ReplyDeleteGoody, I was hoping to hear from you on this one! Our group is very small and we need all the help we can get. May I ask you for advice from time to time if we get stuck on something? And I will definitely post our progress, and include pics when possible.
DeleteI didn't know you were caretaker for more than one cemetery! I don't know about your other readers, but I'd love to hear more about what you do and the cemeteries you oversee.
I'd be more than happy to give you any advice I can offer, Lucretia. Also, I have quite a bit of information about one of the cemeteries I'm involved with on my blog. I don't think we were acquainted yet, so you might have missed out on my posts about the restoration and some of the people buried in the small historic cemetery that sits alongside my driveway.
DeleteAlso, I'm involved with a larger Confederate Cemetery. These were created after the Civil War in the southern states and usually by women's groups such as the Southern Memorial Association, which owns the one here. If I'm not mistaken, ours is the last active SMA in the South.
Here's a link to my first post about the Walker Cemetery restoration project. I did a couple of updates and took photos of the restored burial ground in later posts. So, just start with the link I'm providing here and then move forward to see the updates. If you have questions, you can message me on Facebook, where I go by A.d. Vick. The middle initial is small because Facebook wouldn't let me capitalize it.
http://gothicembrace.blogspot.com/2012/07/restoration-of-historic-cemeter.html
Thanks VERY much!! I enjoyed that post thoroughly, and will read the others as soon as I can. You're right, I didn't start reading your blog until 2013, so I totally missed most of your cemetery posts.
DeleteThose graves in the pics you posted were in MUCH worse condition than what I've seen so far in ours, but it's about the same age or a bit older (I THINK ours opened around 1854), so it will be interesting to compare styles and such. I'll have to remember to bring my camera next Saturday!
Im glad to hear that there are people willing to volunteer in this matter. Gravestones are heavy and have killed people when they fall (not long ago a young boy got killed here when a gravestone fell over him).
ReplyDeleteAll the cemetaries in Sweden are taken care of the swedish church, none are abandoned as far as I know. I heard that they now lay tilted stones down for security reasons.
Yes, it doesn't happen often, but it DOES happen. I think that recently happened to a small child here as well. Laying tilted headstones down is probably a very good idea!
DeleteWe have so many secular cemeteries here; even though some are affiliated to churches, many are not. And the oldest ones which are now closed are often just left to fall apart entirely, which is what was happening to this one.
It's really nice that there are people out there, volunteering like this :3 I believe the graveyards in the Netherlands are almost always property of the municipality they're located in, which makes it easy to take care of them.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad we don't operate our cemeteries the way they do in Sweden or the Netherlands, and probably in much of Europe. Other than the military ones, I don't think we HAVE any state or federally-run cemeteries. All the rest seem to be either owned by various churches or by independent mortuary businesses. Very weird.
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