Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewEducators and enthusiasts interested in graveyards and graveyard preservation will appreciate this surprisingly comprehensive text. Strangstad makes a convincing case in her opening chapter on the historical, sociological, and artistic value in preserving these early cemeteries. Subsequent chapters offer extensive information and resources for preservation efforts, including organizational, ethical, and conversation issues. * Omega - Journal of Death and Dying *
An excellent tool for those working to restore and/or preserve cemeteries whether a small family project or a larger more involved project. This book should be considered a necessary reference guide for anyone contemplating a cemetery restoration project since many problems are addressed. -- Linda Kennedy
Anyone interested in the restoration and preservation of historic burial grounds will enthusiastically welcome this greatly expanded and updated edition of Lynette Stangstad's classic Primer – an indispensable resource in harmony with 21st Century technology and scholarship. -- Richard Meyer, author of Ethnicity and the American Cemetery
Lynette Strangstad's A Graveyard Preservation Primer set the standard for the field of cemetery studies twenty-five years ago. Her information about conservation techniques was essential for those of us who sought guidance in this new discipline. The second edition of the Primer provides material regarding preservation technologies that have been recently introduced, and also addresses the myriad new methods for documentation of historic burial sites. The development of GPS, computer programs and digital photography have advanced the accuracy and efficiency of survey and recordation -- and as usual, Strangstad leads the way in telling us how to do it. -- Sharyn Thompson, The Center for Historic Cemeteries Preservation
Table of ContentsList of Figures Foreword Preface Chapter 1 Assessing the Problem The Importance of Early Graveyards A Few Definitions Chapter 2 Organizational Concerns Developing a Plan Working with Volunteers Public Awareness Security Graveyards as an Educational Tool A Word about Funding Chapter 3 Documentation and Research Documenting the Graveyard Research Surveys Site Management Plan Mapping the Graveyard Archaeology Chapter 4 Conservation Issues Safety Note Cleaning and Maintaining the Site Landscaping Finding a Gravemarker Conservation Professional Stone in Graveyards Brick and Stone Box Tombs and Vaults Metals Chapter 5 A Question of Ethics Observing Respect Maintaining Historic Integrity Gravestone Rubbing Removal of Gravestones Appendices A. Sample Gravestone Rubbing Regulations B. Sample Cemetery Survey Forms C. S ample Individual Marker Assessment Form D. Sample Vegetation Survey Form E. Ironwork Assessment Worksheet F. Sample Cemetery Legislation G. Consultants, Conservators, and Carvers Glossary Sources of Additional Information Index About the Author
