Upcoming FREE Webinar on Wednesday, June 7th - 2:00p.m. to 3:30p.m. EDT - "Who is Taking Care of Grandma’s Grave? The Basics of Cemetery Care " with Jason Church

Who is Taking Care of Grandma’s Grave? The Basics of Cemetery Care

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"Does your institution, or your community, have charge of a cemetery, graveyard, or even a single grave? 

This webinar will cover the basic steps of caring for historic cemeteries. Topics covered will include an introduction to documentation surveys and forms, an overview of general definitions required for documentation, photography tips, and an introduction to cemetery preservation planning and prioritization. 

There will also be basic tips for how to clean stone monuments."

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"Jason Church is a Materials Conservator in the Materials Conservation Program at the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (National Park Service) in Natchitoches, Louisiana. 

Jason divides his time between conducting in-house research, organizing various training events, and teaching hands-on conservation workshops. Since 2005 he has conducted more than 100 lectures and hands-on training sessions for cemetery conservation. 

He earned his M.F.A. in Historic Preservation from Savannah College of Art and Design."

Hearing from the Other Side: "Clark's Corners Cemetery Not Ignored, Says Manager"

The Clark's Corners Cemetery in Conneaut, Ashtabula County, Ohio is "Not Ignored".

The city is limited for what can be done to care for the grounds of the cemetery according to the City Manager, James Hockaday.

"Hockaday said the upkeep of the Clark’s Corner facility presents some special challenges. The cemetery hasn’t seen a new burial in decades, meaning the facility is probably filled with wooden graves that are fragile, he said.

As a result, the city is leery of bringing its mowing equipment onto the grounds, fearful the weight of the machinery may cause graves to collapse, Hockaday said. Instead, workers use string trimmers to cut weeds and grass.

“We do the best we can with string trimmers,” Hockaday said. “We’re trying to be respectful. We don’t want to damage anything there. There’s a limit to what we can do.”

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Clark's Corners Cemetery has 144 interments listed for it on "Find A Grave".

Lack of Regular Maintenance a Major Concern for Those Who Care about Clark's Corners Cemetery in Conneaut, Ashtabula County, Ohio

Sharing this news story reported on May 29, 2017 by Cleveland 19 News:

"Residents Upset by Lack of Upkeep at Conneaut cemetery" 

Investigated and Presented by news reporter Shelby Miller 

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Tall uncut grass waving in the wind and obscuring a cracked in half 19th century headstone is a featured segment in the video.  This is an unwelcomed sight seen all too often at Ohio's inactive, and therefore unregistered, cemeteries.  Cemeteries in this unfortunate category (lack of burials in the past 25 years) are discriminated against in Ohio.  This is because unregistered cemeteries are ineligible in the eyes of the Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission to accept and handle complaints against those responsible for a cemetery's care -- that is if it is a registered cemetery.

But there is hope............

Utilizing the power of the media to alert the general public, particularly those who live in the community, to the deteriorated conditions that exist at a local cemetery, is a powerful tool.  

The information shared on TV, newspapers, radio stations, and social media spurs stronger interest for individuals and groups to work together for the common good of the cemetery in need of help.  

The rewards are great that stem from cemetery volunteerism -- and so are the results!  

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There are 144 interments listed on "Find A Grave" for Clarks Corner Cemetery.