Fairview Cemetery Weathering EarthCache

Fairview Cemetery is situated on 10 acres donated to the City of Van Buren by its co-founder John Drennen in 1837. The area was already being used as a burial ground with the earliest marked burial dating to 1816. Fairview Cemetery is the final resting place for most of Van Buren's earliest settlers. There are around 2900 total burials at Fairview.The cemetery still serves the needs of the community today. The sextant's record for the cemetery documents the burial of some 89 African-American slaves from the years 1848-1864. The Confederate section of the cemetery contains the burials of 442 Confederate soldiers. This particular portion of the cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in December of 1996, while Fairview Cemetery itself was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 1, 2005. The style of most of the markers is Victorian - era and Eygptian Revival influenced, with the granite and marble stones formed into columns, urns, obelisks and massive monuments with beautiful funerary art.

This earthcache aims to educate about the various rock types used for headstones. If you have ever visited a cemetery you will know that some stones weather better than others, while some are almost so weathered you can’t see the carvings and funerary art. You will need to visit each Waypoint and answer the questions there.

Please be respectful of those who are buried here and please only visit this Earthcache during daylight hours. If you are interested in preserving headstones please research carefully the methods that would be best for each rock type, before starting preservation of any headstone. Different methods are better for different types of rock.

Mohs scale of mineral hardness. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is a qualitative scale which characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material.   Please DO NOT scratch any of the headstones. Just touch and feel. :D

Marble

Marble is a metamorphic rock that is formed from metamorphosed limestone. The heat and pressure of metamorphosis has resulted in the recrystallization of calcite and other carbonates in the parent limestone. It is fine grained and white, but it is often colored with impurities. Its main minerals are calcite and dolomite. Marble is slower to weather than limestone because the heat and pressure have hardened the stone. However, it is still a softer stone. It has a Moh’s Hardness number of 3.

Waypoint 1: Marble

The Confederate section

N 35 26.487 W 094 21.030

There are 442 simple white marble grave markers in the Confederate section of the cemetery. Many are marked “Unknown Confederate Soldier”.

1.      How does the stone feel?

2.      Do you notice any weathering?

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock that is formed from the deposition of sediment on beaches, sand dunes and stream valleys. It is made up of relatively coarse particles which are easy to see. Sandstone will have a gritty feel. Its main minerals are quartz, feldspars and muscovite. It can erode easily depending on the mineral composition of the “cement” which holds the grains of sand together. Individual grains can be quite resistant to weathering, especially if they are mostly quartz. However, sandstone as a whole is affected by chemical and physical weathering. It has a Moh’s Hardness scale number between 6 and 7.

Waypoint 2: Sandstone

The Mystery Grave

N 35 26.490 W 094 21.102

There is local legend surrounding this burial site. Some people believe it to be one of DeSoto’s or LaSalle’s men; others that it is a Viking burial. Others still just an early pioneer to this area. Whatever the case may be, it is made out of sandstone.

1.      How does the stone feel?

2.     Do you notice any weathering?

3.      Can you discern the carved image in the stone on the west side? If so, what do you see?

Granite

Granite is an igneous rock type formed by the slow cooling of silica rich magma deep within the Earth. Granite is completely crystallized with large, well-formed interlocking crystals that are easily visible. It is usually fairly light in color, with it usually being white, gray or pink. Its main minerals are feldspar, quartz and mica. Granite is considered a durable stone for headstones and is what is used most in modern times. It has a Moh’s scale number between 6 and 7.  

Waypoint 3: Granite

Wallace Headstone

N 35 26.472 W 094 21.102

I picked this headstone because it was one of the older granite headstones here that I saw and because of the sweet epithet to their father. It is a nice large granite headstone.

1. How does the stone feel?

2. Do you notice any weathering?

3. What color is the granite here?

Waypoint 4: ??

The Wallace Children’s Commemorative Monument

N 35 26.448 W 094 21.086

This is probably the most well known monument in this cemetery and was the first to be restored. The monument dates to 1840, and commemorates the deaths of three very young children.

1. Based on what you have learned and other headstones you have seen today, what two rock types do you think were used on this memorial?

2. Do you think both rock types are original to the monument? Why or why not?

To log this Earthcache, Please send me an email/message with the GC code and name of this EC, plus the answers to each Waypoint question. No Armchair caching, you must visit the site. You may go ahead and log after sending me the email. Please DO NOT post the answers in your log. Thank you for visiting!