When beginning a cemetery
restoration fences surrounding the cemetery or family
plots are an important factor. The fence may be made of metal, wood or stone. It
may be intricately detailed or plain. These particular features can give
relevant clues to the past, making fences an important visual element in many
historic cemeteries.
There were important reasons for
fencing many years ago --- they were to lay out the cemetery boundaries or
family plots and to protect gravestones from wandering cattle. Some rural
cemeteries still maintain fences to keep cattle from trampling headstones.
Depending on the cemetery's origins, a previous fence of barbed wire might be
replaced by a wooden picket fence or an ornate cast iron fence or even a brick
wall.
Cast iron fences are still found in some historic cemeteries throughout
Nebraska. In the 1880s, cast iron fencing was available in a variety of designs,
motifs and shapes. Families or cemetery associations created fancy,
one-of-a-kind designs from mass-produced products by picking and choosing
different gates, newel posts, picket tops and line posts.
Existing fences in many old cemeteries may not be the original ones. When
beginning cemetery preservation plans it is important to not make drastic
changes to the appearance of the cemetery. Without physical evidence such as
photographs, maps reports from a cemetery association, it is better to preserve
what exists rather than guess what the cemetery contained in the past.
Recording Cemeteries
The records help the people that preserve cemeteries
to know if a stone was broken or if an urn was missing when the survey was
conducted. A visual record helps the community or families recover or
reconstruct a missing gravestone. Very important to recording cemeteries is
volunteers. Local genealogical groups and historical societies have interested
volunteers. Placing an article in the local newspaper about the project may help
find people interested in helping.
To document a cemetery, follow these basic steps:
1. Record all items such as gravestones, fences, walks and landscaping
features on survey forms. For gravestones, include the type of material (stone,
concrete, wood or iron, etc.), design, existing condition, previous repairs and
cemetery location.
2. Take a photograph of each gravestone. Before taking pictures, ensure
that all parts of the cemetery are visible (the grass is mowed, for example).
3. Make a map of the cemetery. This important element brings together the
photographic documentation and inventory data.
