Aug. 22 OR 23
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cemetery Preservation (Advanced)
At Spring Valley Cemetery, Lawrence

Instructor: John “Walt” Walters

Cost: $30, $25 IHS members, $22.50 Local History Partners (includes lunch)

To Register: Download and print the LHS July and August 2009 Brochure. Follow the instructions on the brochure to register. If you have questions, contact Local History Services at (317) 233-8913. Register by Aug. 10

Join us on either Saturday or Sunday for a one-day, hands-on workshop to learn advanced cemetery restoration techniques.

Instructional Session
Speakers will address the essential components of cemetery restoration. John Walters, professional cemetery restorer, will explain the techniques of cemetery restoration, including the kinds of mortar mixes and adhesives to use when reassembling broken stones and fallen obelisks.

Hands-on Session
Participants will be restoring stones in the cemetery for the majority of the workshop. They will work with broken, leaning and misplaced stones and disassembled obelisks under the supervision of instructors.

Participants will learn the following skills:

• Stone Repair – repairing stones using several kinds of adhesives.
• Stone Relocation – how to determine the original locations of gravestones that have been moved and how to replace them to maintain the cemetery’s integrity.
• Resetting Obelisks – using tripods to reset large obelisk stones that have been knocked over.
• Filling the Cracks – mixing stone dust to fill cracks for a finished look.

Only those who have attended a basic cemetery preservation workshop or have prior experience cleaning and straightening stones can enroll in the advanced workshop (as experience in cleaning and resetting stones is essential to understanding more complicated repairs).

Participants will be able to ask for advice regarding specific preservation and restoration tasks throughout the day. The workshop will be held regardless of weather, and all participants will be involved in the hands-on session.

This project has been funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior or the Department of Natural Resources.

This program receives federal financial assistance for the identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240.

Learn how to preserve your historical collections and avoid harm in a collection environment. Discussion will focus on current issues in preservation, such as storage and collection environmental issues, undertaking preservation efforts and exploring conservation techniques. Registration fee covers the cost of tools, which participants will keep.

• Understand essential issues in preserving historical collections
• Recognize different types of material and how the techniques to preserve them vary
• Learn how to humidify, surface clean and provide housings for paper materials
• Obtain answers to the most perplexing problems about your institution’s collections based on a pre-workshop survey

Sept. 21
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Restoration vs. preservation
• Historic building materials and their basic care
• Working with contractors
• Prioritizing and planning for preservation projects
• Major areas of concern, including windows, floors and HVAC systems

Who should attend? Board members or directors of organizations housed in (or considering accepting the donation of) a historic structure. Space is limited, so please send in your registration early.

Oct. 19
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Restoration vs. preservation
• Historic building materials and their basic care
• Working with contractors
• Prioritizing and planning for preservation projects
• Major areas of concern, including windows, floors and HVAC systems

Who should attend? Board members or directors of organizations housed in (or considering accepting the donation of) a historic structure. Space is limited, so please send in your registration early.