Heritage Haldimand, in partnership with Ruthven Park National Historic Site, will be offering a special Headstone Conservancy Workshop on Saturday, September 28, 2019.

The workshop will take place at the Ruthven Park’s Indiana Irish Cemetery located at 243 Highway 54, Cayuga and be presented by Archaeology and Cemetery Conservancy expert Seika Groves. Seika will cover aspects that are key to understanding the process of conserving and restoring headstones and share the knowledge she has gained working in cemeteries with both old and modern headstones. Seika’s expertise may be applied to other types of stone, including statues, sculptures and monuments.

The hands-on session will highlight preservation techniques based upon stone type, from the safest to the most aggressive. Utilizing existing headstones, participants will learn how to apply a number of different restoration methods. Topics to be covered include: types of stone (sandstone, marble, granite, etc.), what stone types may be cleaned, what cleaning techniques should be applied and what cleaning tools and products to use.

Participants are asked to wear comfortable/weather appropriate clothing and enclosed footwear; protective eye wear, gloves and dust masks will be provided.

The cost of this workshop is $10.00 per person. Registration may be completed online at link.haldimandcounty.ca or in person at any Haldimand County office using program code  10313.

For more information, contact Heritage Haldimand at heritage@haldimandcounty.on.ca or 905-318-5932 ext. 6516.