Well endowed or highly valued historic cemeteries are fortunate to be able to provide ongoing maintenance and care. Headstones, meant to be a permanent reminder of earthly life, are subject to pollution, natural destruction, and passing time. Slate and sandstone, used for early gravestones in the 17th and 18th centuries, are susceptible to separating layers and lichen growth. Marble, used extensively in the 1800’s, is soft and easily blackened by pollution and worn away by the elements. Earlier attempts at cleaning these stones may have contributed to further decline. Tree roots and the heaving and thawing in northern climates can cause well-balanced monuments to tip and eventually fall and break. Vines can swallow a monument in a short time; bushes or trees planted next to headstones can dwarf these markers over time. And, unfortunately, vandalism happens—it feels a sacrilege when I see it.
