This is the fourth summer my DAR chapter has volunteered to clean gravestones at area cemeteries. By maintaining the gravesites of our country's veterans, we're fulfilling two DAR goals: promoting patriotism and preserving history. We're making it possible for future generations to read the headstones while tracing their ancestry or paying their respects.

Each of the four cemeteries where we've worked has provided a different challenge. This summer, at Union Cemetery in Orono, the biggest problem was encroaching sod. We found grass and weeds were growing over the flat grave markers, and the majority of the veterans' memorials were that type: flat markers about 24" long and 12" wide made of either bronze or granite. For more recent burials, the markers have been installed with a concrete base to create a boundary, which is helpful in keeping grass at bay.

Finding the marker in the first place was not always easy. We suspect some headstones have been completely overtaken by vegetation. Sometimes only a few letters could be read on the partially-buried and discolored stone. Definitely a big job to edge the marker by cautiously cutting or digging around the gravestone!

The next step was particularly rewarding. Using soft-bristled brushes, water and a product called D/2 Biological Solution, we carefully scrubbed away mold, algae, lichens and other growth that had stained the marker over the years.

To record our progress, we took a few "Before" and "After" photos. Below are headstone photos for Charles A. Grave, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, which show the improvement that's possible. We'll post updated photos on Findagrave as we complete this year's project.