In October 2024, the JLCA Board approved Phase I of a proposal by Wolf Gap to clean and restore the John Laird Cemetery monuments. Wolf Gap (wolfgaptn.com) is a Tennessee nonprofit 501(C) 3 History and Nature Education Center located at 2718 Tarpley Road, Pulaski, TN 38478. Wolf Gap operates with the mission to bring history and nature programming into local schools and support the rediscovery of lost histories in its community. Their work has recently included other heritage cemeteries in Giles County. In 2017, a local landowner discovered an unmarked cemetery on their land and turned to Wolf Gap for help identifying its origin. Research by Wolf Gap volunteers revealed it to be the Old Center Point Cemetery, a pre-civil war burial ground for African Americans enslaved on nearby farms.  

With the support of Humanities Tennessee during September and October 2022, Wolf Gap conducted hands-on cemetery preservation workshops in five historic Giles County cemeteries, one of which was our very own John Laird Cemetery. At this workshop, JLCA board members learned how to clean tombstones and received a toolkit and jug of special cleaning solution. In May 2023, Wolf Gap and the Giles County Historical Society co-sponsored an in-depth two-day Historic Headstone Repair Workshop in historic Maplewood Cemetery in Pulaski, TN which was attended by Shelley Witt Long Cammack and Bill Rutherford. 

First, a survey of the designated markers was conducted to assess their current conditions and prioritize preservation efforts. This phase also included recording and photographing each marker, capturing detailed information about its condition, material, inscriptions and any visible damage prior to conservation. 

Then, the markers were cleaned using  biodegradable, non-ionic agents suitable for use on historic stone to remove biological growth and surface dirt. Protective methods were employed to ensure that no harm comes to inscriptions or decorative features. Tools included soft brushes, plastic scrapers, and low-pressure water hand sprayers–no high-pressure washing or abrasive tools.

Next, broken or damaged markers were repaired,  including the careful reinforcement of vulnerable, structurally unsound markers to prevent further damage during repair. For repairs Chase and Kelly use conservation-grade epoxies, mortars, and fillers compatible with each marker’s material (e.g., marble, granite, sandstone) to rejoin broken parts and seal cracks, all the while carefully adhering to best-practice conservation principles. They correct tilted or sunken markers to restore them to a safe and stable condition, being careful that any excavation around markers is done minimally and with care. Where fragments have detached, they reattach them using appropriate adhesives and techniques that maintain the marker’s historical appearance. 

Lastly, Kelly and Chase meticulously document their work by taking before and after photographs of each marker and maintaining a record of all repairs, including methods and materials used.The John Laird Cemetery has even become a teaching laboratory for history professor, Cochran Pruett of UT Southern. Pruett facilitated an internship for a rising Senior majoring in History to work with Chase during one third of an internship. In so doing, the student earned one credit hour solely from his time at the JLC.