Oak Hill Headstone Conservation Project
Project Goal
To conserve 53 headstones identified in need of repair in Sections 1, 2 and 3 of Oak Hill Cemetery.
Background
Pacific Coast Conservation of Denver, Colorado, was awarded the project and started work in October 2022. The funds for this project come from a Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council grant, the former Friends of Oak Hill Organization ($5,000), and City of Lawrence Capital Improvement Project funds ($100,000).
Conservation vs. Restoration
In this video, Lucinda Linderman, Sculpture Conservator for
Pacific Coast Conservation,
explains the difference between conserving a headstone versus restoring it.
Phase 1
In October 2022, Pacific Coast Conservation and committee volunteers cleaned over 250 historic headstones. Volunteers also researched correct placement of headstones and performed other tasks requested by Pacific Coast Conservation. In total, the group donated over 150 hours of work during Phase 1 of the project.
Along with volunteer time and research, the project also requires substantial amounts of supplies and equipment to clean headstones. Thanks to a generous donation from Prosoco, volunteers were able to continue their cleaning of headstones in Section 1 of the cemetery. The donation was five, 2-gallon containers of Revive, a biological soil remover.
Learn more about Phase 2 by scrolling down.
Phase 2
The Pacific Coast Conservation team returned to Lawrence in May 2023 to resume conservation work on headstone deemed unsafe or unstable. Stay tuned for more updates via social media about the group’s process.
