[StBernard] Chalmette grave markers will get tender loving care from volunteers

[Westley Annis]

Chalmette grave markers will get tender loving care from volunteers

Published: Thursday, June 14, 2012, 9:30 PM

 By Kate Mabry, The Times-Picayune 

The rows of headstones in Chalmette National Cemetery once were lined up
like warriors in rigid battle formation, eloquent statements to the heroism
of those buried in the hallowed St. Bernard Parish ground. But neglect, air
quality issues and the wrathful Hurricane Katrina have left many of the
burial sites grimy and askew. And while federal recovery money helped fix
many headstones and revamp other parts of the cemetery after the storm,
family members of some of the fallen say much more needs to be done to
maintain the tombs of those who paid the ultimate price for their country.

 "The tombstones are in terrible, disgraceful shape," said Jeanine
Passafume, whose Navy corpsman husband, Michael, was killed in 1968 in
Vietnam. "Some are molded and cracked; my husband's is lopsided. Arlington
National Cemetery can find a way to clean their tombstones and keep them the
way they are. It shows more respect for the men who died than to leave it
like that."

Passafume and cemetery officials said family members are not allowed to
clean the headstones because they are considered cultural artifacts, and
unauthorized cleaning methods could permanently scar them.

"Because they are historic and damage can be caused, there are certain
chemicals that can only be used on them," she said. "We're under a
compliance situation. We want to make sure if they need cleaning, the
National Park Service does it."

Webster said park officials periodically clean the headstones, which mark
the burial sites for veterans of major conflicts from the War of 1812
through the Vietnam War.

"Some of the headstones date back to the 19th century," Webster said.
"They're considered historical objects and need to be treated carefully."

Webster said park officials require that a special formula and technique be
used to clean them.

"They're hard to clean," Webster said. "There's a lot of stuff in the air,
especially in St. Bernard Parish, and some headstones have been absorbing
these materials for a long time."

Passafume said she's not pleased with the cleaning efforts, but help is on
the way for her and others who lament the condition of the headstones.

Every three years, the Lutheran Youth Volunteers Program completes service
projects in cities across the country. The group traveled to New Orleans in
2009, and though it usually visits different cities, event coordinator
Caitlin Reilly said the program coordinators decided to continue their work
here again this year. The group will tackle a number of projects in the
area, including one to refurbish the headstones.


>From July 19 to 21, the volunteers will be trained to clean the headstones

and document information on each one, said Cidney Webster, supervisory park
ranger.

"They'll be taking pictures of the headstones, collecting more comprehensive
information and gathering data about the headstone names," Webster said.

Park Superintendent Carol Clark said the Chalmette National Cemetery, part
of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, flooded when
nearby levees failed during Hurricane Katrina.

"Some headstones were tilted or damaged, and those that had major damage, we
had to replace," Clark said.

But the headstones weren't the only objects damaged during the 2005 storm.
Webster said large sections of the cemetery wall, which was originally
constructed in 1875, were rebuilt.

"Bricks were cleaned, dried, remortared and put back up," she said.

Clark said the Old Carriage House, which at one time was used to house
horses and vehicles, and the park superintendent's lodge received
substantial water and structural damage during the storm.

The U.S. Department of Interior sent the park $5.3 million to replace and
restore the cemetery's headstones, wall and two historical structures. A
temporary visitor center housed in a trailer opened in September 2006, and
construction of a separately funded, $4 million visitor center, which is
twice as large as the original center, began in November 2009. Webster said
all "Katrina projects," except the renovations on the new visitor center,
were completed by 2010, and all funds allocated to restore the park have
been spent.

The volunteer labor arriving next month to clean the graves will be much
appreciated, she said.

Webster said park officials also are considering a community training
program to clean the headstones in the future.

"It would be valuable for us to bring in folks who want to learn to take
care of the headstones the proper way and train them," Webster said.

Kate Mabry can be reached at kmabry at timespicayune.com.



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