The last article I wrote was about the murder of Eula Bass in 1921. I told you that I had my work cut out for me in restoring her monument. The picture above is the shape it was in when I first visited her grave at Bethesda Cemetery in Senatobia, Mississippi. First of all, I have never repaired a broken monument. Up until now, my expertise with restoration of tombstones was limited to cleaning and the occasional leveling of the base. This was an entirely new experience and honestly, I am not completely pleased with the outcome. I did a great deal of research on how to repair this monument and I hope even though I’m not completely satisfied that I was able to bring some dignity back to Miss Eula Bass’ final resting place.
To start the process of restoration, I knew I need to find the correct type of epoxy that is safe to use on marble stone. I was able to order it from Atlas Preservation which is the same place I get the D2 cleaning solution. After watching multiple videos, I knew I also needed marble dust/sand to mix with the epoxy to repair the stone. However, I had no idea how hard it would be to find marble sand. Atlas Preservation sells it, but they were out of stock for weeks. Being the impatient person that I am, I called around trying my best to secure the elusive marble sand. Thankfully, my esteemed co-worker, Katie, happens to sell monuments for Batesville Marble & Granite. She was able to get me some marble sand from Mike, the owner of Batesville Marble & Granite. I was elated to finally get started repairing this monument.
My future son-in-law, Hunter, helped me attach the stone back together using clamps and the epoxy.
Once we were able to attach the stone back together, I realized it was in worse condition that I originally thought. Before I began trying to fill in the cracks with marble sand and epoxy, I cleaned the stone with D2 Biological Solution. Several days later, I started the scary process of working with marble sand and epoxy. It was a cloudy Sunday morning and I thought it would be a perfect day to experiment. I mixed the epoxy and marble sand and started filling in the cracks…then, for the first time in forever…it started pouring down rain. I almost cried…
I tried my best as I got soaking wet to get it all filled in properly and hoped for the best. Later that afternoon, I went back to see if the rain had messed up my work and unfortunately, I believe it did. But…I suppose it looks better than having a gaping hole on the side of the monument.
After I was sure all the epoxy had set, I cleaned the stone again with D2.
Although I am not completely satisfied with the way it turned out, I am confident that it will continue to look better and better over time.
The monument reads:
Eula
Dau. of
J.G. & M.V.
Bass
1899 – 1921
Asleep in Jesus
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4:14
I have several projects that I am working on and I am excited to share them very soon! This summer has been very busy, but I hope to post articles more frequently. Thank you for reading! Don’t forget to subscribe below and share on social media!
I think the monument looks great!! You did a fantastic job!
I think you have done a beautiful job with Eula’s stone.
You have inspired my husband and me to purchase the cleaner and we have cleaned several family stones.
Thank you! I’m so glad y’all bought the cleaner and have been cleaning your family stones. It is so gratifying to see them restored to their original condition!
You did an amazing job! It looks great. JoAn