Bodie State Historic Park Cemetery

The historic cemeteries at Bodie State Historic Park contain stone markers and monuments. Many are damaged, suffering from vandalism, weathering, erosion and deterioration. The California Department of Parks and Recreation contracted us to assess the conditions and make treatment recommendations, and implement treatment for 22 stone grave markers. The intention of the conservation treatment was to maintain and preserve cemetery features in keeping with the park’s philosophy of “arrested decay. ”

Stones and monuments that needed to be realigned were reset using scaffolding and rigging, or by hand. New footings were poured where the existing had failed. Several base stones were stabilized with compacted earth, rubble and/or gravel. Standard pinning using 316 stainless steel threaded rod was performed on several of the broken stone markers. Concrete surrounding one tablet stone was removed, the two parts of the stone were pinned together, and the base repointed.

When needed, stone-to-stone bonding was achieved through the application of a mortar bed, epoxy, or a traditional lime/casein-based adhesive. Small chips, spalls, and cracks were filled with custom color mixed lime based grouts and patching compounds.