Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Connecting the Present with the Past | Page 9

sweet auburn | 2019 volume i
The marble was soiled with black accretions of biological
growth and black gypsum crusts, and the stone had suffered
dramatic erosion due to age and exposure to the fluctuating
New England climate. Several alarming deep cracks ran
through the architrave, and numerous small fissures had
formed throughout the entablature. Conservators also found
evidence of prior efforts to repoint the structure as well as
fragments of cement-like mortar along the pilasters and the
sides of the monument. By 2018, the Appleton Monument was
urgently in need of conservation.
Fortunately, Mount Auburn has experienced preservation
staff and established practices in place to oversee a
conservation project of this scale and importance. As
stewards of an outdoor landscape of art and nature, we
acknowledge that deterioration is an inherent threat and
only perform treatment and maintenance procedures that
ensure preservation of these historic monuments well into the
future. One of the Cemetery’s biggest challenges is the cost
of monument conservation projects, which are not covered
by the Cemetery’s restricted endowment. Mount Auburn is
therefore very grateful to have received contributed funds to
make this critical work possible.
In August, conservation treatment began on the Appleton
Monument with photographic documentation and an
assessment of its stability. The conservation team washed the
marble with soft brushes to reduce the soiling and employed
a handheld laser to remove gypsum crusts from the fragile
areas of the carving. Conservators from Daedalus then treated
the monument with a chemical consolidant to strengthen
the stone and minimize losses. Joints between the stone were
carefully filled with a soft lime mortar, and smaller cracks and
fissures were filled with a reversible adhesive resin. Both were
mixed with different shades of marble dust to blend with the
color of the stone.
Preservation work on the Appleton Lot will also include
new landscaping to further enhance the monument’s siting
and add horticultural diversity to the area. Plans housed in
Mount Auburn’s Historical Collections Department reveal
that William Appleton, Samuel Appleton’s nephew, created
the original planting plan in 1875. Although most of the plants
have been replaced over the years, a 143-year-old Ginkgo
tree still stands on the northern edge of the lot. A grove of
evergreen trees dating to the 1940s provides a backdrop for
the memorial, but the site will be dramatically enhanced by
new plantings planned for 2019. (See article on pp. 8-9 for
details.)
If left unattended, erosion of the Appleton Monument
would have continued unabated, resulting in an accelerating
loss of detail and eventually meaning. Thanks to contributed
support, the Friends of Mount Auburn has saved for posterity a
nationally significant work of commemorative art in a pleasing
horticultural setting. It is beautiful to behold once again.
Since 2014, the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery has been
working to raise funds for conservation work on the most significant
monuments on our grounds. The Cemetery’s diverse collection
of commemorative art provides aesthetic richness, historical
significance, and deep personal meaning to the extraordinary beauty
of the Cemetery’s landscape. Many of these monuments date from
the nineteenth century and now require an extra level of care and
maintenance after years of exposure to the elements.
The work was made possible with contributed funds from:
Judith J. Stackpole
Preservation Endowment Fund
Above: Appleton Monument before conservation. Photo: ©Greg Heins, 2014.
Below: Conservator Josh Craine and Vice President of Preservation & Facilities
Gus Fraser celebrating the completed conservation of the Appleton Monument.
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