A toothbrush might not clean floors or toilets well, but it does a bang-up job cleaning headstones.
On Saturday, Nov. 9, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Boy Scout Troop 21 and Girl Scout Troop 7520 hosted a headstone cleaning demonstration at the Pataskala Cemetery. Other members of the public were encouraged to join, and the event drew about two dozen people.
Mike Dalton, a retired on-scene coordinator with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, demonstrated the process, which is done using gloves, a non-metal scrub brush, water, D/2 Biological Solution and tiny tools.
Wooden paint stir sticks and tongue suppressors are also common, as they can be used to scrape significant biological growth like moss from the smaller lines of engraved lettering.
“We’re going to start with just plain water and a scraper,” Dalton said. “Just get it wet, and then what we’re going to do is just scrape it [moss] off. These scrapers are soft and flexible, so they can’t damage the stone. We also have popsicle sticks. And they can get in where there’s engraving some places where you can’t get with the scrapers like this. It seems to scoop stuff out.”
Dalton continued to wet the headstone with water through his demonstration, pausing to scrape moss and other biological growth from the stone.
“This is an especially bad one,” Dalton said. “Once we scrape all the sides of the stone and the base then we’re going to take a brush and we’re going to start scrubbing.”
Dalton firmly but gently ran the soft brush over the stone, loosening the extensive growths that time had allowed upon the rocks surface, explaining the need to use a soft brush and gentler tools.
“Marble, limestone, some of the other stones around here are actually pretty soft,” said Dalton. “So if we did this with, like, a wire brush, we could do 100 years worth of damage.”
For headstones created to last hundreds of years without eroding, that kind of damage is no joke. But regardless of unnatural damage, biological growth can also accelerate the erosion of marble and limestone.
Once the stone was as clean as possible with only water and scrapers, the next step was spraying the entirety of the headstone with the D/2 biological solution, and waiting 10 to 15 minutes for it to work its way into the moss and algae and end their infiltration.
Dalton explained that after the D/2 cleaner has been applied, the stone can either be left alone for the cleaner to work over the next couple of months or it can be scrubbed and cleaned manually, though much of the shining and clearing effect will still take place over a longer period.
“The D/2 not only kills the algae that’s there, it prevents it from growing,” said Dalton.
After the presentation, Dalton sent attendees off to clean the headstones with American flags next to them to signify military service.
Many were grateful for the opportunity to do such meaningful work ahead of Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 11, including the scouts.
“I really enjoy it,” said 13-year-old Troop 21 member Seth Pingel of Etna. “This is where people are buried. And even just the fact that maybe the families don’t know how to do it, I feel like it’s something really important and a really amazing experience.”
This sentiment echoed across all ages.
“It’s really satisfying to see the results especially when some of the smaller writing, you couldn’t read it at all before, and now it pops out and somebody can actually enjoy it again,” said 43-year-old Jill Brewer of Pataskala, mother to a Troop 21 scout.
Josh John and his daughter Brooklyn came out for the event, as John saw it as a good learning opportunity.
“I’m a member of the American Legion here in Pataskala, so we’ve known about this for a while,” said John. “ I think the children today don’t have as much knowledge or influence, in my opinion, and need to preserve the dedication that we have to this country and the commitment we have to veterans, specifically on days like [Veterans] Day.”
Other young adults came out to show their admiration for the artistry involved in the headstones and bolster the community.
“I have always been interested in it,” said 23-year-old Allison Peck of New Albany. “I think that it’s important to go and show love and care for things that have been forgotten. And I also think that the artistry of the stones is so beautiful. And more people should try and appreciate that.”
The process of cleaning is not just important for grave maintenance and the preservation of beautiful stone art — it is also necessary for historical discovery. It can uncover figures in American history, and reveal deep-rooted community stories.
Dalton showed off one such example with Tommy Allsup, whose stone proclaimed him 98 years old and initially born an enslaved man.
“What’s interesting is this is a monument to him,” said Dalton. “His grave is actually over there, and there’s a headstone on the grave.”
Allsup’s monument was only about ten feet away from his actual headstone, but it painted a clear picture that would not have been clear otherwise. Allsup was an important man in the community and an important part of Pataskala’s history.
Noah Fishman writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.