Before the 19th century, the standard place of burial involved an overcrowded churchyard stuck in the middle of a city. Not exactly a location one would enjoy visiting to pay respects to a loved one, these "places of rest" were much more chaotic and crumbling than peaceful or inviting.
In 1804, the first landscaped cemetery was opened in Paris, Pere Lachaise.
This marked the beginning of the rural or garden cemetery, in which architectural design and landscaping of the location earned much lager roles in their development. Natural features such as trees, flowers, and ponds became much more crucial in the design of a sufficient resting place, as well as the flow of the land and its natural beauty and flow. This new fascination and concern with placing the deceased in a much more aesthetically pleasing and inviting environment coincided with the emerging popular tastes of the time, which included a focus on the romantic and aesthetic. There was also an increase in the richness and variety of the monuments within the cemeteries due to the introduction of mechanized manufacturing processes during this time.
Dedicated in 1838, Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY is one of the first park or garden style cemeteries, and is the oldest Municipal Victorian Cemetery in America. 
With 350,000 graves among the picturesque 196 acres, this cemetery holds many examples of stone deterioration and conservation.
A maze of interconnected hills and valleys, the landscape was formed 13,000 years ago, as glaciers began to melt and move across the land, debris collected by the ice was deposited in large piles that formed the beautiful landscape we see today.
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Constantly exposed to the elements, grave markers show very obvious signs of weathering, deterioration, and decay.
This stone has been chosen to be observed according to Applebaum's quandrant chart.
This stone has been chosen to be observed according to Applebaum's quandrant chart.
In general, gravestones such as this face many forms of deterioration, both environmentally and chemically. Weathering, lichen, and moss can occur naturally and are a danger to these stones that are left out to face the elements at all times.
Frost spalling, or wedging, is another real danger for stone. This occurs when water fills small cracks and then freezes, which breaks the rock.
Frost spalling, or wedging, is another real danger for stone. This occurs when water fills small cracks and then freezes, which breaks the rock.
They also are victims of sugaring, which occurs when oxygen interacts with minerals and results in soluble salts with in the stone to move outwards and recrystallize on the surface, and gypsum crust, which forms when CaCO2 in the stone dissolves from acidic rain water and re-precipitates on the surface of the stone, forming a black crust.
Common pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide can all dissolve in water, and will react with limestone, marble, and lime mortar. This especially occurs in urban areas where human activity has increased the number of such pollutants. If an affected gravestone is in an exposed area where rain can regularly wash away the reaction products, the surface of the stone will gradually recede. If the stone is sheltered, the reaction products will likely form a crust on the surface of the material. This is clearly seen on the sheltered areas of the Kaltenbacch grave marker.
Likely carved and placed in the cemetery in 1889 due to the date on the stone, the material appears to be marble, which is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, and is very commonly used for gravestones.
The stone shows signs of sugaring on its surface, shown by the small rough bumps that cover the surface.
There is also evidence of the formation of gypsum crust, which is shown by the black roughness that has spread across the stone.
Environmental effects have also taken a toll on this grave, as lichen and moss can be seen making their home on the stone. Cracks, possibly enlarged from water freezing and cracking the marble are prevalent. Smaller cracks also pose the danger of enlarging in the future from these conditions, and this is likely to happen due to the relentless Rochester weather.
There has also been some weathering on the intricate carvings on the stone, which have been rounded an smoothed out from wind and rain.
A missing acorn from the design can be seen here:
There has also been some weathering on the intricate carvings on the stone, which have been rounded an smoothed out from wind and rain.
A missing acorn from the design can be seen here:
The stone also reveals a fair amount of history through its symbolism.
In the past, primaraly before the 17th century, gravestone iconography held fast to more Puritan views, which involved contempt towards ones life on earth, and a resignation in the face of death.
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, a shift towards the Romantic gave way to a much more hopeful and romanticized idea of death and the afterlife. In the late 1800s grave stone decoration reaches its peak, as stones become highly intricate and detailed.
For this particular grave, one can see signs of such intricacy and effort being put into the stone.
In the past, primaraly before the 17th century, gravestone iconography held fast to more Puritan views, which involved contempt towards ones life on earth, and a resignation in the face of death.
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, a shift towards the Romantic gave way to a much more hopeful and romanticized idea of death and the afterlife. In the late 1800s grave stone decoration reaches its peak, as stones become highly intricate and detailed.
For this particular grave, one can see signs of such intricacy and effort being put into the stone.
The letter "K" inscripted on the front of the stone, clearly in order to represent the deceased's last name and call upon her connection to the family.
The oak leaves around the outside are said to represent strength, endurance, faith, and virtue, and the acorns convey prosperity. All of these are meant to portray the family in a positive light.
The oak leaves around the outside are said to represent strength, endurance, faith, and virtue, and the acorns convey prosperity. All of these are meant to portray the family in a positive light.
At the top of the stone there are carvings of acanthus leaves, which symbolize the journey of life to death. The upside down torch on the side of the gravestone symbolizes "a life put out," but also the idea of the after life and an immortal soul due to the continuously burning flame.
Certainly not one of the oldest markers in this cemetery, the marble stone has retained the majority of its intricacies and has yet to succumb to the environmental and chemical deterioration that has caused clearly visible, yet minimal damage. It does not appear that any conservation of this stone has been necessary thus far. It is however possible that in the future a removal of the moss and lichens, or of the gypsum crust may be desirable for this particular grave stone.
Stone restoration and cleaning is a controversial topic due to the fact that there are a large number of factors that can result in additional damage to the stone." A number of authors have emphasized the damage that can be caused by cleaning: loss of surface, staining, deposition of soluble salts, or making the stone more vulnerable to pollutants or biological growths" (Price).
This beautiful and decorative memorial of the life of Marianne Keister is just one of many nestled among the grassy hills of Mount Hope that is doing its best to stand the tests of time.
Stone restoration and cleaning is a controversial topic due to the fact that there are a large number of factors that can result in additional damage to the stone." A number of authors have emphasized the damage that can be caused by cleaning: loss of surface, staining, deposition of soluble salts, or making the stone more vulnerable to pollutants or biological growths" (Price).
This beautiful and decorative memorial of the life of Marianne Keister is just one of many nestled among the grassy hills of Mount Hope that is doing its best to stand the tests of time.
Sources:
https://urresearch.rochester.edu/institutionalPublicationPublicView.action?institutionalItemId=13205
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_cemetery
http://nyfalls.com/mt-hope-cemetery.html
http://members.fortunecity.com/mccallister/symbols.txt
http://www.graveaddiction.com/symbol.html
Guidelines for Evaluating Cemeteries National Register Bulletin
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/do_history/graveyards/index.cfm
Price C. Stone Conservation
Guidelines for Evaluating Cemeteries National Register Bulletin
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/do_history/graveyards/index.cfm
Price C. Stone Conservation
