A kickoff ceremony was held for the Potter County Veterans Gravestone Restoration project, which launched at Eulalia Cemetery in Potter County this past Saturday.

Several dozen people gathered at the cemetery to attend a memorial service before fanning out across the hillside to attend to the many veterans’ gravestones located there.

Many of the older gravestones are covered in moss, mildew, algae and other substances, making it difficult or impossible to make out the individual’s name and information.

“Potter County is taking the next step in honoring these veterans,” said Commissioner Paul Heimel, who served as master of ceremonies at the memorial service. “Today, we are resolving to do something about (the condition of the gravestones). Our veterans deserve it.”

Hundreds of veterans are buried in Potter County’s many cemeteries. Some of those individuals served as long ago as the Revolutionary War, and their graves have been mostly neglected since their deaths.

“The sacrifices of our veterans haven’t always been celebrated or remembered by our nation,” stated Robert Leete, U.S. Navy veteran and keynote speaker at Saturday’s ceremony. “The work and the service we are going to do today is not to clean gravestones, it is to say thank you; we remember your sacrifice and we’re not going to forget.”

The project proposed for Potter County goes further than just gravestone cleaning. Volunteers are also working with the Potter County Historical Society and other entities to locate photographs and biographical information for the deceased veterans to put together a website with information about each veteran buried within the county, and a database that includes where the individual is buried.

Officials are also hopeful that they can enlist volunteers into an Adopt-A-Gravestone project, pairing families with one or a handful of graves that they can maintain, and encourage families to pass the adoption onto the next generation.

Volunteers are using a formula proven to be safe to the environment, gravestones and individuals working with the substance. “D2,” as the cleaning formula is known, has been approved by Arlington National Cemetery and other organizations to clean headstones without worrying about damage.

First, the headstones are rinsed. Then, a few ounces of the solution are applied. After waiting a few minutes, volunteers gently scrub the stones with a plastic-bristled brush, rinse with water, and spray with another layer of solution. The process may need to be repeated a few times on the first application, depending on the condition of the stone. The substance continues working for up to three additional months, eating away moss, mold and other contaminants.

Potter is the first county in the United States to take this on as a county-led project. Andrew Lumish, a Florida resident known as the “Good Cemeterian” is advising Potter County Veterans Service Committee members on developing the program. Thanks to Lumish’s advisement, the county receives a discount on purchases of the cleaning product.

The memorial ceremony included several additional speakers, including county veterans’ affairs director Bill Simpson and Eulalia Cemetery director Steve Erway, who thanked volunteers for their time and participation.

“I’m proud to be a part of this project. I hope this sweeps across our county so people can look and see these headstones, and they will know the names of these veterans who served our country and maybe died for it,” said Simpson.

The local Boy Scouts volunteered, cleaning a number of headstones, despite the cold weather. Women housed at the Potter County Women’s Residential Rehabilitation Center also participated in Saturday’s efforts. The Potter County Honor Guard offered a military salute, and Taps was played by Arthur Metzger. The Rev. Janis Yskamp performed the invocation and benediction.

A gravestone-cleaning practice-run was held at the Lymansville Cemetery several weeks ago, and the grave of Major Isaac Lyman, a Revolutionary War veteran, was rediscovered and cleaned. Records from the cemetery burned in a fire in 1992, and a number of gravestone locations were in question due to their poor condition. The Sons of the American Legion of Coudersport maintain the cemetery, and provided manpower for gravestone cleaning.

Organizers are working to plan similar events at other area cemeteries, and Heimel stated that there has been interest shown from a number of communities across the county.