Providence Memorial Association announced the Providence Cemetery near Scio has been awarded a 2023 grant for professional restoration of headstones in its oldest portion.
The award, announced June 6, is funded in large part by the Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. According to Providence, private donations, volunteer hours and letters of support were also instrumental in securing this grant.
The grant will enable 23 headstones most in need to be leveled, reset on bases, have joints mortared and be cleaned as needed. The oldest burial is from 1856, meaning some headstones have weathered more than a century and a half while being made of a range of materials from their time.
Historic Preservation Northwest will make the repairs using accepted preservation materials and techniques this summer to improve safety, add stability and restore the original intent of markers in the most effective way to weather future centuries.
Providence Memorial Cemetery was created on donated land from members of the 1847 and 1852 wagon trains and Joab Powell, Circuit Riding Preacher, as a place for anyone to be buried. This is still the policy to this day. The cemetery is a non-profit 501 (c) 3.
For more cemetery information, contact Judy Grove, secretary, at 541-990-2354.