Durham Town Cemetery
Historical Significance
The brownstone gravemarker of brothers Luther B. and Seymore L. White is a rare Civil War era gravemarker depicting a musical instrument. A relief of a drum adorns the top front of the marker in honor of Luther B. White, who at seventeen was too young to serve as a soldier, and so served instead as a drummer in the Union Army’s 10th Regiment Band.
A brownstone obelisk marks the Civil War era burial place of Durham’s prominent Nettleton family. The obelisk suffered from a dramatically shearing back face as a result of the Connecticut winter’s harsh freeze/thaw cycles.
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Conservation Treatment
The White Marker
- Mechanical removal of a waxy compound on the face crack from a previous, failed repair.
- Stone cleaning.
- Injection of cracks with Jahn injection grout.
- Patching of stone losses with Jahn patching compound.
- Resetting in a leveled bed lined with gravel for improved drainage.
The Nettleton Obelisk
- Stabilization of the shearing face with a series of “bridges” of polymer adhesive and pulverized brownstone.
- Winterizing of the monument (pending full treatment in milder weather) with a custom-made Gore-Tex sheath and polyester lining to waterproof and provide physical support.
- Stone cleaning.
- Crack injection using Jahn cementicious grout.
- Fills using Jahn patching mortar and brownstone aggregate.
