Cemetery Resources

Welcome to our Cemetery Resources page, where we share materials to help communities take care of their historic cemeteries. Email Stacey.Graham@mtsu.edu if you have questions

about what to do with your historic cemetery.

Introductory resources:

• Intro Guide to Cemetery Cleaning. This 5-page PDF includes a step-by-step list for a cemetery cleaning, plus a list of do’s and dont’s, as well as suggested supplies.

• Resources for Cemeteries videos from the MTSU CHP YouTube Channel. We are building a playlist of short videos on basic issues of cemetery preservation, laws, restoration, and cleaning. Some of these videos are from our CHP workshops, while some are from other organizations. We will continue to add to this playlist when appropriate videos are created or brought to our attention.

• Tennessee Historic Cemetery Preservation Program. This page from the Tennessee Historic Commission contains useful links and information, particularly in regards to financial and legal considerations in cemetery preservation.

• A Cemetery Restoration Success Story. This blog article, from our CHP blog Southern Rambles, recounts the story of the restoration of the John Nash Reed family cemetery in Smyrna, TN, as an example of what can be achieved through community effort.

• Graves and Cemeteries in the State of Tennessee: General Information, Laws, and Guidelines. This webpage from the TN Department of Environment and Conservation covers many of the basic legal questions surrounding cemeteries and their possible removal.
  

Cemetery Preservation Workshops

The Center for Historic Preservation works with community organizations in the Middle TN area (and potentially across the state) to present in-person workshops that combine presentations on cemetery best practices with hands-on opportunities to clean tombstones in a historic cemetery. If you’re interested in holding a workshop in your community, or in simply being added to the emailing list (to get announcements for upcoming workshops), please email stacey.graham@mtsu.edu.