Headstone Cleaning- November, 2024

Many thanks to the volunteers who cleaned 484 headstones at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Agawam! This was a wonderful way to honor veterans and bring comfort to their families, just before Veterans Day.

On Monday, November 4th,17 students and 2 staff members from Pope Frances Preparatory High School cleaned headstones at the cemetery. The following day 9 volunteers from the Chicopee High School Air Force Jr. ROTC continued with the headstones cleaning. The students worked alongside two of the cemetery's dedicated staff members who demonstrated how to clean the stones.

There are approximately 9,500 headstones to maintain, with the number growing quickly. The cleaning process requires 5 steps and will help to prevent the growth of moss and other organic materials. Cleaning of gravestones is on hold until warmer weather arrives next spring.

The photos below show the hard work being done and the beautiful results.

A Pope Frances Preparatory High School volunteer scrubs a headstone:

The difference between the cleaned stones on the right and the stones on the left can be clearly seen in the photo below:

A cemetery staff member instructs the Chicopee High School Air Force Jr. ROTC volunteers on how to clean the stones:

Some of the Chicopee High School Air Force Jr. ROTC volunteers:

The newly cleaned headstone, below, shows the results of the volunteers' hard work!