Feature photo by Shauna Reynolds
Story by Shauna Reynolds
Friday morning, a small group of students assembled at Old City Cemetery in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The sun blazed bright above them while giant stumps hinted at the shade they could have been working under. They were there to perform a simple task — spray, wait, brush and scrape. The process removes organic matter from the surface of stone markers and in turn reveals centuries of Murfreesboro history.
Center for Historic Preservation research professor Stacey Graham usually holds cemetery preservation workshops for members of nearby communities, but after students expressed interest, she arranged a workshop as a part of MT Engage week…