On a cold, gray Saturday morning, a group of 10 or so people spreads out through the Vaughn-Oddfellow Cemetery, just off highway 14 in Ozark. Each is equipped with spray bottles, buckets and brushes. They are here as part of a Christian County Library program dedicated to cleaning gravestones.
Whitney Gillenwaters, the program's co-organizer, said participants enjoy the time outside, the history and the process itself.
“It’s relaxing and satisfying, and you happen to be doing a good deed as well,” Whitney said.
Charlee Evans, also a co-organizer, added that it is “community service, and that’s what the library is all about."
Gillenwaters and Evans said they started the program in 2021. After a successful first event, and with funding for equipment paid for by their Friends of the Library organization, they’ve been able to continue with regular visits to cemeteries throughout Christian County.
In a battle against nature, with most cemeteries only able to keep up on basic lawncare and maintenance, it’s a presumption by many that a forgotten gravestone and the history of its owner may be lost to time.
Charlee, Whitney and their library patrons are reclaiming that history. As Whitney said, “these are people who had lives, who had things happen to them that were happy and sad, and we may never know them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t care for them afterwards."
And it doesn’t take much, besides time, energy and water, Charlee said there is one secret ingredient — a cleaner called D/2.
“It kills all the biological stuff that is growing on the stone,” Charlee said. "It’s the same stuff they use in Arlington Cemetery and on the White House, so it's very well tested.”
They said they train newcomers to avoid any gravestones that might be damaged or at risk and to always avoid using any type of metal tools. They said if you don’t have D/2, just water can help a lot and that you should absolutely not use vinegar on limestone. They try to focus on the stones that need cleaning the most and said it's hard not to connect with the people and the past they encounter. They and their fellow participants often find themselves going back to the library to research a gravestone and person they’ve come across.
The work does not just create interesting ways to connect with the past. As her own grandmother is nearing the end of her life, Whitney said the program has also helped frame healthy conversations about death for her and others.
“I find it super comforting,” she said, “to know that someone may do something similar for me or the people I love in the future.”
The program has paused for winter but will pick back up in the spring. If you questions or interest, you can contact the library through their website: christiancountylibrary.org