We have added stable footing materials under the bases of some headstones and leveled them. We were able to lift other headstones back on their bases and add mortar to hold them in place. However, some of the headstones are too large and heavy for us to do ourselves for fear of breaking them during the necessary work.

Jan Phillips from Southern Restoration Company recently walked through Sylvester with us and looked at some of the more difficult restoration projects that we are facing. SRC is the company that has worked with Oakland and Decatur Cemeteries to restore some of the deteriorating stone work there. We are hoping that we will be able to work with our cemetery families to keep the cost of the work as low as possible to get these projects done.

The photos that follow are of the work done so far:

Emily Chosewood - This is a tall, thin granite head stone that had fallen out of the slot in the base when the original mortar dried out. The new mortar was applied on both pieces of stone and then was supported by a wooden brace until it was thoroughly dry.

Claudius G. Love - The upper piece of this monument had fallen to the ground when the original mortar failed. The new mortar was applied on both sections of stone and the top piece was lifted back onto the middle section. The sub-base did not need any stabilization.

Ernest Crymes - The headstone had fallen when the base tilted as the ground settled over the years. The base and headstone were mortared onto a new sub-base after the ground was leveled.

J.W. Stanford - This granite head stone had fallen off the base when the original mortar dried out. The new mortar was applied on both sections of stone and they were braced until set. No new sub-base was needed.

Swan H. Lanier - This is a tall, thin granite head stone that had fallen off it's base after the original mortar dried out. The new mortar was applied on both pieces of stone and then they were supported by a wooden brace until thoroughly dry. No work was needed on the base or sub-base.

The Little Sons of Mr. & Mrs. E.L. Roberts - This concrete headstone and cherub was found together in a remote part of the cemetery under layers of brush and leaves. It was returned to a new sub-base on the family plot where the parents are interred.

Sallie L. Hays - Wife of Rev. S.C. Hays- Tree roots had pushed this tall, thin headstone over against the trunk of another tree and the mortar had dried out so the stone was loose in the slotted base. The roots were dug out, the base was leveled and the headstone was remortared into the slot in the base.