GLEN CARBON — Ever wondered how to keep cemetery headstones from succumbing to erosion and weathering?
Angie Wagner, a certified cemetery preservationist, will be in Glen Carbon to lead a hands-on training workshop about how to preserve these markers and monuments for future generations. She will visit the Glen Carbon Heritage Museum on Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets cost $20 each and attendees will receive classroom work, box lunches and a practicum at a local cemetery.
Wagner works with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS).
“We will be using the Illinois state guidelines to clean and preserve the headstones,” said Samantha Doolin, the museum’s coordinator on Tuesday. “Then, after lunch, we will go to the Nix-Judy Pioneer Cemetery and use D/2 Cleaning Solution from Atlast Preservation on the headstones.”
According to Atlas’ website, D/2 Biological Solution is a biodegradable, easy-to-use liquid that removes stains from mold, algae, mildew, lichens and air pollutants. It is effective on marble, granite, limestone, brownstone, travertine, masonry, terra cotta, concrete, stucco, wood and other architectural surfaces including monuments, sculpture and headstones. A contact time of only 10 to 15 minutes followed by scrubbing with a soft nylon or natural bristle brush will loosen most biological and air pollutant staining.
It was developed by conservators who know the damage that can be done by cleaners containing acids or salts. It has been specially formulated without these harmful agents. It has been tested and used by The White House, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Park Service.
Doolin said there are between 80 and 100 headstones at Nix-Judy, just off Illinois 157 and immediately north of Interstate 270, before one ascends Sunset Hill. She said the last time any major maintenance was done there was in 1993 or so.
Samuel Judy, Glen Carbon’s first permanent settler, is buried there, along with other members of his family and the Nix family is interred there. Doolin said the initial Judy home dates to 1808 and stood where today’s West Main Street and Illinois 157 intersect.
For more information on the workshop or to reserve a spot, call Doolin at 618-288-7271 or email gcmuseum@glen-carbon-il.us. The museum’s address is 124 School St.
