city of dublin Cemetery Restoration A story of preserving and making history

by Cadyn Healy

Photo courtesy of City of Dublin

Cemetery Restoration

A story of preserving and making history

Sitting on W. Bridge Street on the edge of Historic Dublin is the Dublin Cemetery. There lies nearly 5,000 headstones, with veterans from the Revolutionary, Civil, Vietnam and Korean wars, as well as both World Wars, among those remembered. The grave markers vary in size, resting among the trees of one of Dublin’s many beautiful green spaces.

Mary Elizabeth Graham was the first burial in the cemetery on Nov. 4, 1858, after it opened just a few months prior. With so many veterans and past Dublin residents buried at the cemetery, a large piece of history is resting in the heart of Dublin – though it has had little recognition from its community, and headstones have been in need of serious but gentle care.

That is, until City of Dublin Director of Outreach & Engagement Christine Nardecchia embarked on a project with a team of dedicated volunteers to preserve not only the headstones, but also this crucial piece of Dublin history.

“When the stones are gone, they’re gone,” Nardecchia says. “So we’re taking great care.”

The headstone restoration project began in mid-May. Deputy City Manager/ Chief Operating Officer Robert Ranc says that the annual Memorial Day ceremony helped put the project in motion.

“For us, the immediate impetus was wanting to make sure, coming into Memorial Day, that the cemetery would look as good as it could,” Ranc says. “How can we get out there and really make sure it looks great when we honor those who have gone before us, particularly those who have served and sacrificed for their country? And then it grew from there. How do we continue to honor and preserve this history?”

As the project began to take shape, City staff realized that this was something the Dublin community could also get involved with. Nardecchia reached out to some Dublin residents, who she now fondly refers to as the “custodians of history,” asking if they would be interested in volunteering to help preserve the cemetery.

“We got an email,” says resident Richard Kennedy, who took on the volunteer work with his wife, Carolyn. “They were looking for volunteers … to do restoration and preservation work, essentially cleaning headstones. We go through the cemetery on a regular basis – why not do something to help the cemetery out?”

Richard and Carolyn set out to work in the cemetery every other Saturday between 8 and 11 a.m. throughout this past year. Each volunteer came when they could, so the group of approximately eight Dubliners varied in numbers each weekend. As for the work? It was certainly a labor of love, Richard says.

“What we thought was going to be just cleaning some headstones turned into, ‘Here are your plastic scrapers. Here’s a toothbrush for the nooks and crannies,’” Richard says. “And everything had to be delicate. We couldn’t use anything harsh or hard; the brushes had to be soft. The scrapers had to be plastic; we couldn’t use metal.”

“It’s hard work, but it’s very rewarding,” Carolyn says. “The very first day we did it, we were there for, I think, an hour and a half to two hours. So, that night when we walked through (the cemetery), we were saying, ‘Oh my gosh, look at the difference you can see just from this morning.’”

Carolyn and Richard Kennedy volunteered every other Saturday from May through October cleaning headstones in the Dublin Cemetery to preserve the historic lot.

The first couple of weeks were trial and error regarding the best way to clean the headstones. For example, Richard and Carolyn found there was only one working hose in the cemetery.

“The first week we did it, we underestimated the amount of water we needed to rinse off the stones,” says City Crew Supervisor Tyson Vollrath.

So the City regrouped and decided to bring in a water truck, along with a rotating crew member who showed up to assist volunteers each week, making the process exceedingly more efficient.

“(The water truck) really was a huge help. It sped things along to have somebody there every time,” Carolyn says.

The process has been a team effort, with volunteers on the front line cleaning and the City assisting with staffing and listening to suggestions from the volunteers. For older headstones on the verge of collapse, the City employs contractors, which Director of Public Service Jay Anderson notes is to ensure the safety of the volunteers. He says the volunteers have really taken charge of the project.

“It’s not just about the cleaning process,” Anderson says. “It’s (the volunteers) learning about the history of the cemetery.”

When the Dublin Cemetery was built in 1858, many people who had already passed on were moved into it due to its popularity and beautiful scenery. The decision, from the families of residents and veterans, to move them into the Dublin Cemetery may explain why it is home to veterans from wars such as the Revolutionary War.

Not only is the cemetery a place where many war veterans and past Dubliners are buried, it’s an all-inclusive cemetery. This means those who rest there came from all different backgrounds and religions. There are no requirements to be eligible for burial at the Dublin Cemetery.

“It’s a municipal cemetery, so all are welcome,” Ranc says. “Our City is very open, and we put a big emphasis on our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. So as a City cemetery open to all, it’s emblematic of Dublin’s values.”

Nardecchia describes the participation and dedication of the volunteers as nothing short of impressive and inspiring. The City plans on making volunteer-led cemetery preservation a returning program due to its success.

“It really is just an incredible way of respecting those who have gone before us and respecting our history,” Ranc says. “I think it’s just a really rewarding thing to be even a little bit a part of. Really, the volunteers are making it happen.”

“Volunteers understand their ownership of the community,” Nardecchia says. “What they’re doing is going to have an impact for future volunteers to pick up the baton.”

The Kennedys say they cannot express enough how positive the experience has been for both of them: how actually seeing the progress of the headstones on a weekly basis encourages them.

“I was under the assumption there was a caretaker for the cemetery. There is, but they’re only doing the landscaping. It’s on the family of the owner of the stone to kind of maintain it,” Richard says. “So, the Revolutionary War guy (whose headstone I cleaned), his family is probably nowhere around here anymore. So that stone is just going to sit there until it gets fixed because it’s completely broken. I had no idea that that was the family’s responsibility.”

While many people are concerned with taking care of the living, it is also important to take care of those who have passed on before us, to keep them and their history in mind. Richard, Carolyn and the rest of the cemetery preservation team have put that sentiment into practice.

“Both of our fathers have died: Carolyn’s just recently, mine a little longer ago,” Richard says. “Our fathers are both buried in Pittsburgh, so we don’t get over there as often. There are probably stones here that people may never come (visit). Hopefully, someone is doing it where our parents are, and we’re doing it over here for someone else’s parents.”

“My dad is buried in (a) national cemetery for veterans,” Carolyn adds. “Someone is always going to keep those stones clean. It’s kind of neat that we’re able to do that here.”

The Kennedys say they encourage Dublin residents to come and visit the Dublin Cemetery to see its beauty and how much history it encompasses. The Dublin Cemetery is open to the public from dawn until dusk.

Get Involved

Want to be a future custodian of Dublin’s history? If you’re interested in the cemetery restoration project or would like to volunteer with the City of Dublin, please email volunteer@dublin.oh.us.

Curious about Dublin’s past residents and veterans? Check out the Dublin Cemetery Database to explore the cemetery’s burials and headstones. You may spot some familiar names: bit.ly/DublinCemeteryDatabase.

Visit The Remembrance Project to learn more about Dublin’s veterans and their personal stories at www.Dublin Veterans.com.