Cemeteries have been around for thousands of years, and they play an important role in memorializing loved ones who have passed on before us. Cemeteries are also key to discovering and maintaining important personal and national histories. Because they play such a significant role in our culture and personal lives, it is important to care for and maintain family grave plots to protect the well-being of cemeteries. While it isn’t difficult to maintain personal plots, most of the hard work falls to the hands of the cemetery caretakers. However, contrary to popular belief, caretakers are typically only responsible for the general maintenance of the grounds. As a result of this, it is important that families understand how to properly care for and maintain their own family plots to preserve that important piece of history.
A Brief History of Cemeteries
While cemeteries have been around for thousands of years, they have changed significantly. Most cemeteries were based in churchyards or other religious grounds, but over the past century, public cemetery grounds have become more popular. In some parts of the country, crypts, or above-ground burials, were also common. These different burial practices typically depended on the demography of the area. In the late 1700’s, safety coffins were introduced to avoid burying people alive. These coffins typically had a bell or other alert system attached to them so if the person were to awaken post-burial, they could ring the bell to alert the grounds keepers to dig them up. Thanks to modern medicine this is no longer an issue, but cemeteries now struggle with a new crisis—a lack of space. Cemeteries in the United Kingdom are now reusing graves in order to preserve space. To do this, bodies that have been untouched for over 75 years are being placed deeper in the grave to allow new graves to be placed on top of them. While this is only being done in a few places and with family permission, it has saved space and helped alleviate the nationwide space shortages.
Cemetery Care
Every cemetery has their own rules regarding headstones and other memorials, but for the most part, they can be incredibly personalized to best capture the memory and life of the deceased loved one. Headstones often take all sorts of forms and designs. Some people choose a very traditional headstone, while others like to design an elaborate memorial. There are usually no problems with this, the memorials just have to comply with cemetery rules. Furthermore, many people choose to design their own headstones/memorials before they pass away. This eases the process significantly for their loved ones. Headstones or other memorials do not have to be purchased from the cemetery, so people can choose a mason that best fits their own style. Depending upon the complexity of the design and how long it takes for the person to decide what they want, the process of creating a headstone can take anywhere from a few months, to years. For this reason, it is best that a person begins designing their headstone sooner rather than later. Also, the sooner the person purchases a plot, the cheaper it typically is due to inflation over the years. For this reason, early planning is never a bad idea.
A certain amount of upkeep is essential to keeping a gravesite in good condition post-burial. While a cemetery caretaker will typically take care of the general grounds, such as cutting and edging the grass around the tombstone, it is usually up to the families to take care of the rest. Because the extent that a groundskeeper will do varies from cemetery to cemetery, it is important that family understands the rules at their own cemetery. Typical maintenance that falls to the family members includes cleaning the headstones/memorials, weeding, and decorating the plot. Cemeteries also have their own rules regarding what type of decorating is allowed, and these should always be checked. For the most part, decorating with wreaths and flowers is acceptable as long as the family throws them out a few weeks later when the plants are dead. If the family does not do this, the caretaker will. Many families like to decorate with fake flowers or plastic trinkets, however, this is typically not recommended as the decorations often tend to blow away and cause littering. For this reason, it is important that families are attentive with their decorations and clean them up themselves. Planting around gravesites is sometimes allowed, but a family should always check with the cemetery first.
Other gravesite maintenance is minimal and only needs to be done about two times a year. This includes weeding around the headstone and cleaning the headstone. Headstone cleaning should be done with some soapy water and a rag or soft brush. Wire brushes and harsh scrubbing should never be used as it can cause wear and damage to the headstone. Household cleaners and bleaches should also never be used as they can damage the stone and progress corrosion. If additional cleaners beside water is needed, you should check with the mason that made the headstone for the best care options. It is also important to keep track of family member’s headstones who have been dead for a while, because headstones can fall, break, or be lost. Families should always keep track of where their family members are buried so the body does not become lost.
Cemeteries are an important part of our culture as they create a vital link between the living and past generations. Cemeteries require care and attention from not only the cemetery’s caretakers, but the families as well. As a cemetery does act as a final resting place for those who have passed on before us, it important that they are respected and cared for. Through small, simple actions and attentiveness from family members, cemeteries can continue to provide a place of significance and connection for generations to come.