Work parties held in the Ancient section of the Duck River Cemetery in August and September made significant progress in cleaning, mending, and resetting damaged gravestones. So far, our dedicated volunteers have cleaned 107 stones; reset, straightened, or excavated 68 stones; and mended 9 stones. 

With the help of Michael Carroll from Rediscovering History, volunteers have repaired several large, broken monuments. This process involves excavating the base of the stone, which is frequently set in concrete. The base is then reset to be level with the ground, and the broken portion of the stone is reattached using epoxy, then braced with two-by-fours to dry.  

The cleaning of 29 gravestones this fall has revealed previously illegible inscriptions and restored graceful carvings obscured by lichens and staining. Volunteers are also excavating buried footstones and resetting them above ground in line with corresponding headstones. 

Future work parties will be held on October 23 and November 13, weather permitting. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us.