In May 2026, the Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps Historical Society (PRVCHS) will host a two-day cemetery preservation workshop and volunteer work weekend, marking the first organized headstone maintenance effort permitted at Ashland Cemetery in years.
Ashland Cemetery is the final resting place of over 120 Civil War soldiers linked to the Pennsylvania Reserves, many of whose stones have not received proper cleaning or conservation attention in decades.
What Volunteers Will Do:
Participants will receive hands-on instruction, no prior experience required. We will offer instruction in:
- Proper headstone cleaning techniques
- Identifying stone types and condition issues
- Safe tools and approved conservation methods
- Ethical standards for cemetery preservation
Volunteers will then assist in cleaning and maintaining headstones across Ashland Cemetery, focusing primarily on Pennsylvania Reserve soldiers.
All work will be supervised and conducted under PRVCHS preservation standards
This is a rare opportunity. Gaining access to Ashland Cemetery took years of trust-building and persistence. The work ahead is significant, and success depends on community participation.
Volunteer registration details coming soon.
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Workshops in Carlisle.
