Volunteer group cleans markers at cemeteries
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
On Saturday, the volunteer group Monument Cleaning & Repair lived up to its name, as members spent time cleaning and restoring monuments at Oak Grove Cemetery.
A monument is any kind of marker, be it flat on the ground, above ground, a headstone or anything else, Janet DeVault, secretary and treasurer said.
The group got started in 2018 when several people attended a workshop at Oak Grove Cemetery about how to properly clean monuments, DeVault said.
Attendees learned how to restore old and new monuments and how to clean them of mold or lichen, DeVault said.
A few months later, DeVault and the others approached the Monongalia Historical Society and received a $500 grant, which was “put to good use.”
The biggest expense for the group is a special cleaning solution that does not damage the monuments, according to DeVault. The solution also has a lasting benefit to help prevent mold and lichen from returning.
There is usually someone from the group at Oak Grove every weekend. DeVault said it’s a special cemetery, which has burials from the Revolutionary War.
The group will also travel around the Morgantown area and teach people how to maintain their private cemetery or how to keep their family’s marker clean.
DeVault said donations to continue to buy the “rather quite expensive” cleaning solution are appreciated.
The group can be contacted on its Facebook page.
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