Doing History
The Beyond the Headstone project engages the public to be actively involved in “Doing History” in celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary. Opportunities will be available through at least October of 2026. Join us!
Additional Community Cleaning Days will be added. Send the Society an email at info@RayHistory.org if you want to be directly notified of upcoming events.
If you missed an event or activity, you can still review information and images online.
April 30, 2026 BRINGING HISTORIC CEMETERIES TO LIFE by Dr. Thomas C. Henthorn
Cemeteries are more than meets the eye. These historic landscapes preserve art, memory, and material culture that connect past and present. Dr. Thomas Henthorn’s presentation demonstrated how he and his students at the University of Michigan-Flint are helping transform cemeteries across Michigan into active public spaces. Drawing on the science of preservation, the hour-long talk highlighted best practices for the care and cleaning of historic gravestones, helping participants understand how to protect these fragile resources.
Additional Information related to supplies for cleaning historic gravestones
May 1, 2026 ROMEO 8TH GRADE US HISTORY STUDENTS VISIT THE ROMEO CEMETERY
Over 400 8th-grade students and their US History teachers visited the Romeo Cemetery and learned about our earliest settlers following the War of 1812, the history of the Romeo Cemetery, various materials used for headstones and monuments, and the proper way to safely clean the gravestones. Students surveyed the condition of the markers and took rubbings of selected headstones as a way to uncover inscriptions or details on the stones.
May 15, 2026 COMMUNITY CLEANING DAY - PROCTER CEMETERY
Participants gently scraped lichen and moss off markers and monuments, then washed the stones with a ph-balanced soap, called Orvus, and sprayed them with D2 Biological Solution which will slowly kill the remaining biological material on the stones.
After spraying the headstones and monuments with the D2 Biological Solution, the stones turn orange. This means the product is working to kill the mold, mildew, and lichen. Rain will wash this away. The gravestones will become whiter over time.
Fall 2026 PROCTER CEMETERY REDEDICATION CEREMONY