2009 Projects

Roller family plot

For years, we have been looking at this area, section 37, and looking with dismay at the state of the tombstones there. Much work must be done. We, with the training we recieved in March 2009, can now repair this area.
The Rollers lived in Colorado Springs in the 1870s to 1880s. Baby Ralph died in 1880 in an accident. He was a little over 1 year old. His brother William Wallace died the following year, and Claramond, their mother, in 1883. William drowned in the Arkansas River near Salida. His body was discovered about a week afterwards. Ralph succumbed from scalding after falling into a bath tub that had just been filled with boiling water.

The Roller family: Claramond, William, and Ralph

The stones lie in various stages of disintegration

Ralph Roller

Step two - stabilize the base stone
The base stone is Limestone. It is also a soft stone that is easily destroyed. The stone has been visibly wearing away with the weather and the area directly below was soft and unstable. A wrought iron pin was still stubbornly seated in the rock.
Wrought iron pins were used at the time to secure stones to bases and pedestals. The wrought iron, however, expanded and contracted with the weather changes. This resulted in the areas surrounding the pins to break away and crack.
The pin had to be removed and a stainless steel pin put in it's place. The top of the base stone had to be shaved away to bring out a base that wouldn't crumble after repairs were done. This was all done after careful reflection.

The base as it was found

The base after repairs are started

The base after repairs and old pin removed. The stainless steel pin now sits within

2009 Projects

So where to start next. We took pictures of the grave site. Gathered what pieces we could find of the stones and the remaining parts. Much was missing.
We chose to work on the baby's area first. The headstone was in better shape than the others. It was smaller and more manageable. The base is disintegrating. The pedestal was in 3 pieces and the remains of 3 wrought iron pins were exposed. The headstone had a small piece broken from a lower corner. The headstone itself had much lichen and dirt on it.

Step one - clean the stone
Using natural bristle brushes and a spray bottle of water, we started to clean. The letters and dates were hard to read in it's present state.
The stone is marble. It is one of the softer materials used in stone at that time period. Because of debris and acid rain, the marble has lost its white color and the stone is sugared at the top. Sugaring is the state of deterioration of a marble stone where it has a rough surface and sugar coated appearance.
The stone has to be well wetted during this whole cleaning process or it can cause more discoloration. Very quickly it starts releasing the dirt and lichen.

Step three - securing the pedestal on the base
The pedestal is made of Marble. It was originally pinned to the base with one wrought iron pin and then two wrought iron pins were set at the top of the pedestal to secure the headstone. Because of the pins, the pedestal was split into three pieces. The pedestal was cleaned and the pins removed. The pieces then were secured to the limestone base with a stone based mortar and then secured to eachother with the same product. After allowing this mortar to dry, we will be able to resurface the pedestal with marble mortar so the damaged area is now strengthened and better able to support the headstone. New stainless steel pins will be inserted to prevent future damage.

The pedestal reset on the base

Step 4 - reconstruct the pedestal
Once the pedestal is secured to the base with new stainless steel pins, the pedestal needs to be filled in and secured together with marble mortar.

reformed to resemble the consistancy of the original

Step 5 - Re Enforce the pedestal
Using a limestone based mortar, we decided to resurface the pedestal for longevity. This mortar will allow the pedestal to keep its integrity and retard the desintegration athe surface. It will allow moisture to enter and shed as it normally would with marble alone.

Step 6 - Fill in missing portions and attach the new pin
Since a portion of the stone was missing and a portion had to be reattached, we used Marble mortar to do both. The preliminary work must be done quickly as the mortar hardens in less than 10 minutes with the heat.

Pin is attached to new mortar and the headstone reconstructed

Dianne cleans the rebuilt area to prep for placement

Step 7 - set the headstone on the pedestal with second pin
The headstone was set into place on top of the pedestal with the second pin placed in the original hole that used to house a wrought iron pin. Finishing touches need to be done before the "official" unveiling. The tarp protects the project from impending rains.

We are now starting smaller finishing projects. The four marble corner stones need to be reset to their original positions. Some need repairs and chain to string to border the family plot needs to be bought. Due to the large pines that hover above the site, approximately 3" of dirt and plant growths had to be removed to prevent further stress on the coping walls and reveal the original wall origins.
Final touches are put on Ralph's stone and it is covered with a tarp again to assure it will dry properly. The storms have been unusually persistant. The excavated area is then covered with plastic to prevent washout till mulch can be put down.

Ralph's stone completed

Repair to a marble corner marker for the family plot