Finer Details Grave Care

06/04/2026

Professional development yesterday with Jonathan Appell of Atlas Preservation at Hiram Village Cemetery.

06/01/2026

*** FOR THE 25OTH BIRTHDAY OF AMERICA, ALL FAMILY HEADSTONES IN THE PLOT OF A REVOLUTIONARY VETERAN WILL BE CLEANED WITH ANY PURCHASE. ***

Here is the latest in our line of Revolution decor, Saddle #13: "Revolution Joy," a celebratory patriotic recognition for those who fought to create our independent nation.
The topper contains red, white and blue throughout, with patriotic themed permanent botanicals centered in the front, tall gold petals for grandeur, and festive summer colors rounding out the back, complemented by two Revolutionary War-era flags, one being the Betsy Ross flag and the other, the "Appeal to Heaven" flag, evoking the very similarly designed first Maine state flag.
Our topper tending service, at $125, comes with three months of basic plot care of bi-weekly or weekly visits as needed, that includes:
- Light headstone cleaning (brush off debris, wipe away, bird droppings, etc.).
- Plot clearance of debris, branches, leaves, w**ds, etc.
- Maintenance of topper, including replacement of any portions due to weather damage.
- Photodocumentation of appearance of plot.
- Installation and maintenance of ground decor in addition to topper.
- Generous watering of any plants or fresh flowers at plot.
- Scheduled plot preparations upon request for dates when family intends a visitation.
- 20% off the next quarter of topper tending.
- Installation of fresh flowers or plants, either in ground or pots as allowed by cemetery (extra cost for flowers or plants depending on quantity).
Contact us if you would like "Revolution Joy" installed on your patriot ancestor's headstone, or would like a custom topper made for any occasion.

Stay tuned for further Revolution decor releases.

05/26/2026

Public request to towns and cemetery owners who bid out for cemetery mowing:

Please include in your request for proposals to have the groundskeepers blow or brush the grass clippings off the headstones after mowing and w**d clipping around them.

The buildup of grass and dust on headstones can actually be very damaging to the stones. The wind does not take it all off. For older headstones that don't get visited much, that buildup can stay for years. We've seen w**ds growing out of piles of clippings on stones!

The reason this as bad for the stones:
1) the clippings trap moisture, which fuels the growth of algea, mold, lichen, etc.,
2) as the weather breaks the clippings down, acid is released which both further fuels biological growth to attach the stone and corrodes the stone from the inside, and
3) the decomposition of the material releases chlorophyll and tannins that can severely stain marble and granite stones with a brown or green stain that can be very, very difficult to remove.

Most landscapers aren't cemetery caretakers and don't consider the nuances, or "finer details" if you will, of caring for the grounds of a cemetery. It is incumbent upon cemetery owners to be explicit and include debris removal from the stones as part of the requirements of the contract. It's a small detail, and with a good blower, an entire cemetery can probably be cleared of debris on its headstones within an hour -- but it's an important detail that should be included in cemetery mowing contracts.

The little grass specks that you see along the face on the second picture, the black headstone? Those didn't just brush or flake right off when disturbed. It must have been a high humidity day when the mowing was done, because it was stuck firmly on the stone and could only be removed with a plastic scraper. It was cleaned just the day before, so we felt duty-bound to remove the debris to bring it back to the clean state it had been in the day before.

We know the landscapers aren't to blame; they don't necessarily think of these details. Our plea is for cemetery owners to be clear on the expectations of cemetery mowing and to specify that debris removal is part of the work required in the contract.

It will cost the cemetery owner maybe an extra $30 per mow, but the future cost of cleaning and repairing stones damaged by decomposing matter could be much, much greater down the road.

05/26/2026

As we head toward 4th of July, on the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, it is with special tribute that we honor the memories of our Revolutionary War ancestors at this time.
We are now producing a line of Revolution decor, with the memory of Revolutionary ancestors in mind.
Our topper tending service, at $125, comes with three months of basic plot care of bi-weekly or weekly visits as needed, that includes:
- Light headstone cleaning (brush off debris, wipe away, bird droppings, etc.).
- Plot clearance of debris, branches, leaves, w**ds, etc.
- Maintenance of topper, including replacement of any portions due to weather damage.
- Photodocumentation of appearance of plot.
- Installation and maintenance of ground decor in addition to topper.
- Generous watering of any plants or fresh flowers at plot.
- Scheduled plot preparations upon request for dates when family intends a visitation.
- 20% off the next quarter of topper tending.
- Installation of fresh flowers or plants, either in ground or pots as allowed by cemetery (extra cost for flowers or plants depending on quantity).

Saddle #12: "Regal Patriot" is a topper fit for a king, but this one goes to the Revolutionary hero who fought to make democracy our new royalty. With a hand-tied purple bow centered in the front, and subtle visual infusions of red, white and blue throughout, this celebration of the founding men who fought for our nation is complemented by two Revolutionary War-era flags that the patriot may have battled under.
The "Appeal to Heaven" flag has particular relevance to those of us in Maine, for its simplistic design that evokes the very similarly designed first Maine state flag.
Contact us if you would like "Regal Patriot" installed on your Revolutionary ancestor's headstone.
Stay tuned for further Revolution decor releases.
*** All Revolutionary War veterans get their military stone cleaned free of charge with the purchase of topper tender service.

05/25/2026

Gratitude and honor to those who were laid to rest in peace so that we may live in liberty and free.

Lincoln News honors the memory of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service of our nation. Be sure to check this week's paper for a listing of events happening in the area today.
In honor of the occasion, here is a non-complete compilation of World War II personnel who died in the line of duty and who are interred locally:
• Seaman 1st Class Jerome Clifford Banfield, 29 at time of death in 1945, at Park Street Cemetery.
• Pfc. Lawrence William Banks, 30 at time of death in 1944, at North Lincoln Cemetery.
• Sgt. Stanley Blane Beatham, Jr., 28 at time of death in 1944, at Park Street Cemetery.
• Pfc. William Orland Clark, 20 at time of death in 1945, at Howland Cemetery.
• 1st. Lt. Joseph Gardiner Currier, 28 at time of death in 1945, at Park Street Cemetery.
• Pfc. Paul James Cushman, 19 at time of death in 1945, at Academy Cemetery.
• Technician Fifth Grade Clayton A. Furrow, 23 at time of death in 1943, at West Broadway Cemetery.
• Pfc. Ralph A. Jordan, 21 at time of death in 1945, at South Chester Cemetery.
• Seaman 1st Class Raymond Leon LaPlante, 23 at time of death in 1943, at Howland Cemetery.
• Pfc. Harry J. Moody, 35 at time of death in 1944, at Kingman Cemetery.
• Pfc. Edgar R. Murchison, 26 at time of death in 1944, at West Broadway Cemetery.
• Cpl. Philip Roosevelt Rollins, 23 at time of death in 1942, at Goulds Ridge Cemetery.
• Pfc. Harold Odell Savage, 28 at time of death in 1943, at West Broadway Cemetery.
• Sgt. Bliss Lenox Wheaton, 25 at time of death in 1945, at Park Street Cemetery.
It is heroes like these to whom we owe the highest gratitude and respect.
Today, we remember and honor them.

05/22/2026

Visited Riverside Cemetery in Orono today for a cleaning and decor install. What a beautiful day for cemetery-ing!
Also did a plot location search in the Bangor City Cemetery, with the help of Mt. Hope Cemetery staff, only to find that there is no stone for the ancestor at that location. Will need to probe the area for a possible buried stone.
Enjoy the beautiful pleasant day!

05/22/2026

We got seven veteran stones at South Winn Cemetery cleaned today with a thorough but gentle scrub of quartenary ammonium headstone cleaner, which gives memorials a refreshed look instantly but continues working to remove stains deep in the stone's pores for the next several months.
The dark staining on the white marble is called "blushing." It's an immediate effect that gives way in the next few weeks to a white brightness.
We have been working to get as many veteran stones at the cemetery with a first soak and scrub as we can, in preparation of Memorial weekend.
So far, with today's work included, we have done initial cleanings on 28 stones.
We have also reset about a dozen flush markers that were sinking on one side, in the same cemetery.
Enjoy your visits to the cemeteries this holiday weekend, and have a nice upcoming Memorial Day.

05/16/2026

05/04/2026

We have begun work at the South Winn Cemetery in Winn, Maine, restoring, cleaning, resetting and leveling the stones of U.S. military veterans interred there. There are a few broken ones that will need to be joined back together with appropriate headstone bonding epoxies and filled with mortar, but that work won't be able to happen until the temperatures are above 50 degrees consistently.
In the meantime, we can continue with cleaning stones, applying consolidant and/or impregnator on headstones made of marble or other porous stones that are starting to show deterioration, and cleaning and polishing bronze memorials.
Any next of kin of any of the veterans in the cemetery are welcome to contact us if they have questions or concerns about our methods and products.
We work to preserve the stones as much as possible to their original condition without doing any harm that will cause them to deteriorate more.
Our veterans deserve legible and respectable markers after life for their service to our country during their lifetimes.
Kudos to the Winn Town Office for taking efforts to honor the veterans who rest forever in their cemeteries.

05/03/2026

A nice edit of yesterday's stone to read the inscription, courtesy of Tom Rowan .