Stone Conservation & Preservation

Hands-On Opportunity to Learn!

Eastern Cemetery, Portland, Maine
Friday, June 27 to Sunday, June 29
8am to 2pm each day
come and go as you are able

Would you like to learn how to properly care for old gravestones: from basic cleaning, to straightening of leaning stones, to multi-step repairs? Join us this weekend! No previous experience necessary.

Joe Ferrannini of Grave Stone Matters of Hoosick Falls, NY will lead Eastern Cemetery's conservation team on Friday, June 27 through Sunday, June 29. Attendance is not mandatory for all three days. We invite you to come and go as you are able.

We will be learning and working on a variety of different stones and repairs. There are stones that have split apart and stones that have fallen off their base. We have a large number of stones that need a good cleaning. And finally stones that are leaning and need to be reset. Every day will be a bit unique, and will evolve as we approach each stone and see what approach it needs.

This is a unique opportunity to learn about gravestone preservation and acquire essential conservation skills as well as practice through hands-on experience.

Learn how to:

  • Properly and safely clean and repair gravestones
  • Straighten leaning stones
  • Reset fallen stones
  • Repair broken stones using specialized epoxy
  • Use a tripod for resetting large stones

We hope to see you there! Please wear sturdy, closed toe shoes and a hat. Bring a large bottle of water to stay hydrated and sunscreen. If you have a favorite pair of work gloves, feel free to bring them. We will also have some you can borrow.

Saturdays through October 2025
8:00am to 11:00am ET
(Weather permitting)

If you can brush your teeth, you can clean a gravestone!"

– Adrian, Conservation Captain

Email us today to be on the list and get notified of special off-schedule days and to get the latest on the conservation team schedule (like if we're on or off for the upcoming Saturday!

See how we work on stones and what happens on a typical workday.

If your passion is fixing stuff and digging really big holes, this is your chance to get started. We'll cover the basics of our conservation efforts aimed at keeping headstones and monuments legible and upright for decades (centuries?) to come and do so using methods safe for you and for the stones. Long pants, sturdy shoes, work gloves and sunscreen recommended. (We have sunscreen and bug repellent, too.) The regular schedule for conservation will be Saturday mornings through mid-October and if volunteers are available, we'll add a weekday morning as well. Historically the midweek day has been a Wednesday, but we'll build around the schedules of those who are interested.

We are also looking for volunteers to work on our orphan stone project. This involves documenting and cataloguing the pieces of stones we have found that are now stacked in the shed and then storing them on racks in the receiving tomb. It could be done outside under a tent on nice days or inside the Dead House. (It's possible that this could become all or part of our weekday conservation day.)