Introduction
Keynote Remarks:Diane Frankel
Fine Arts & Science
Art & Conservation
American History &
Preservation
Library Sciences &
Preservation
Archaeology,
American History &
Conservation
Practice
Museum Practices &
Conservation
| American History and Preservation | |
|---|---|
| Organizational participants | Boy Scout and National Park Service site |
| Audience | Eagle Scout project |
| Subject areas | American history and preservation |
| Staff and faculty | Preservation consultant, parental involvement |
| Length of program | Approximately 300 hours |
| Funding | |
| Program dates | One time event |
| For more information | John Stoddard National Park Service Fredericksburg, Virginia Tel: (540) 371-1882 |
Preservation Awareness for Scouts
For his Eagle Scout project, Andrew Harvin, then a senior at Chancellor High School in Fredericksburg, wanted to clean up Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, and Tennessee. Tombstones of soldiers from those states who were killed during the Civil War were covered with a green mossy growth that not only obscured their inscriptions but also threatened to break away bits of the stones.
A crucial part of Andrew's project maintenance was discovering proper and efficient cleaning techniques. For expert advice, he turned to John Stoddard, a historic preservationist with the National Park Service in Fredericksburg. In addition to providing technical information, Stoddard stressed the concern for historic and cultural resource preservation. Such projects must be carried out properly, Stoddard emphasized, so they do not evolve into harmful practices. He also arranged for the scouts to attend a National Park Service workshop about care of monuments and sculpture in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Andrew called upon friends and other members of his Scout troop, wrestling team, and church group to assist in the labor-intensive endeavor of scrubbing off 50 years' worth of green growth from approximately 200 stones. Their collective 300 hours of toil did not include all the time required to research the history of this privately owned cemetery and to complete all the necessary paperwork of plans and proposals. Andrew also learned the importance of politely requesting donations of materials and writing thank-you notes.
Andrew learned that proper equipment and forethought were essential to the success of his project. Strictly following NPS guidelines, Andrew first killed the organic material that had taken root on the stones' surfaces. Then he used a soft brush, clean water, additional chemicals, and lots of prudent elbow grease to bring the stones closer to their original color.
In the course of his cleaning, Andrew became more interested in Civil War events and the battles that had taken place around Fredericksburg. He was particularly intrigued by three headstones of three brothers from Maine. All had been killed at different times in different locations, and yet all three were buried in this Confederate cemetery.
For his part, Andrew was pleased with his role in preserving this bit of American history. He earned his Eagle Scout badge.
