NEWS RELEASE: Historic Huguenot Street to Host Gravestone Preservation Workshop With Monuments Conservator Jonathan Appell

NEW PALTZ, NY (August 21, 2015) – On September 19 - 20, Historic Huguenot will host a two-day Gravestone Preservation Workshop in its historic 17th century burial ground led by monuments conservator, preservationist, and teacher Jonathan Appell, founder of the New England Cemetery Service. 

The goal of this hands-on training workshop is to educate attendees on the various challenges and techniques of gravestone, monument, and historic stone preservation via an interactive working experience. The workshop will begin on Day 1 with a tour through the burial ground at Historic Huguenot Street, during which a selection of gravestones and monuments will be chosen for repair. All tools and materials will be provided.

The Gravestone Preservation Workshop will cover a variety of conservation topics, including basic geology relating to gravestones, monuments, and historic masonry; typical gravestone and monument styles and common problems associated with them; cleaning marble, limestone, brownstone, granite, and all historic masonry; raising, re-leveling, and re-setting gravestones; repairing fallen and fractured gravestones; and the use of stone epoxies and mortars.

“This workshop will not only benefit our own ongoing preservation efforts, it will provide a training ground for historians, conservators, and preservationists throughout the region,” said Renzo Cinti, Site Supervisor at Historic Huguenot Street. “We’re all working toward the same goal, to preserve and protect what remains of our history in stone.”

Jonathan Appell of West Hartford, CT, has been working in gravestone and monument preservation for over 20 years. He regularly offers lectures, seminars, and training workshops throughout North America. Information on Appell and his services can be found at gravestonepreservation.info and gravestoneconservation.com.

Registration is required for the Gravestone Preservation Workshop. Attendees may register for either one or both days of the workshop, though it is recommended to attend both. One day registration $100; both days registration $180. Register and view details at http://squ.re/1NlFGTP.

A National Historic Landmark District, Historic Huguenot Street is a 501(c)3 non-profit that encompasses 30 buildings across 10 acres that was the heart of the original 1678 New Paltz settlement, including seven stone houses that date to the early eighteenth century.  It was founded in 1894 as the Huguenot Patriotic, Historical, and Monumental Society to preserve the nationally acclaimed collection of stone houses. Since then, Historic Huguenot Street has grown into an innovative museum, chartered as an educational corporation by the University of the State of New York, that is dedicated to protecting our historic buildings, conserving an important collection of artifacts and manuscripts, and promoting the stories of the Huguenot Street families, from the sixteenth century to today. 

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Contact
Kaitlin Gallucci
Communications & Marketing Manager
(845) 255-1660
media@huguenotstreet.org