‘Save America’s Graveyards’ makes stop at Boxwood in Medina

Volunteers reset stones at historic cemetery as part of event

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Jonathan Appell, owner of Atlas Preservation, helps prepare the site for resetting a broken stone in Boxwood Cemetery. Appell’s visit to Boxwood Cemetery is one of only two in New York state and is part of his “48 States Tour: Saving America’s Graveyards.”

MEDINA – Boxwood Cemetery was a beehive of activity on Tuesday, thanks to a visit by Jonathan Appell with his company, Atlas Preservation. His visit was part of a “48 States Tour: Saving America’s Graveyards,” and was one of only two stops in New York state.

The visit was arranged by Medina historian and member of Friends of Boxwood, Todd Bensley.

“We buy products from Atlas and I saw the tour and applied to be one of the sites they stopped at,” Bensley said.

An unexpected 61 volunteers and interested onlookers showed up to watch the resetting of stones in the section of Boxwood Cemetery with the graves which were dug up from Gwinn Street and relocated to Boxwood in the 1890s, Bensley said.

Bensley said resetting broken stones is an unending job.

“I work with Dale Short and we’ve done 33 this year,” he said.

Rob Klino, president of Friends of Boxwood, said the attendance far exceeded their expectations.

“This event has put Boxwood Cemetery on the map,” he said.

Volunteers came from all over, including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Wolf Island, Ontario, Canada.

One volunteer was Steve Hayes from Bemus Point, a stone preservation volunteer.

“I clean stones mostly for graves of veterans, and also family and friends,” he said. “I saw this event online and decided to follow along. I’m excited to learn how to reset a stone. And I love what I’ve seen of Medina.”

This was his first visit to Medina, and he marveled over the sandstone buildings and how well kept they were.

(Left) Teri Strait, a DAR member from Lancaster, cleans a headstone which will be reset during a graveyard preservation event at Boxwood Cemetery on Tuesday, led by Atlas Preservation. (Right) Two volunteers dig dirt and pieces of stones away from a broken headstone at Boxwood Cemetery, to make way for a new base. Sixty-one people showed up to watch or volunteer at the event.