Award-Winning Project Brings New Life to Veterans’ Graves

The Presque Isle project, cleaning the gravestones at the beautiful Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Veterans Memorial Cemetery, in Erie, Pennsylvania, under the direction of MaryJane Koenig, chair of the DAR Service for Veterans Committee, was awarded first place for Historic Preservation in Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  

The project was then sent on to the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and was awarded second place (tie) in the nation for Historic Preservation. There are more than 3,000 DAR chapters in the United States. Following is the entry submitted by Ms. Koenig.

Gravestone Cleaning at the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Erie, Pennsylvania

By Mary Jane Koenig, DAR Service for Veterans Chair

“Say the veteran’s name when you place the wreath on the gravestone.” Those words resonated deeply the first time the Presque Isle Chapter, NSDAR, participated in Wreaths Across America at the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Veterans Memorial Cemetery. This simple act of remembrance connects us to the lives and sacrifices of those who served.

Established in 1886, the cemetery is more than a resting place—it is a living chronicle of American history. It is Pennsylvania’s only state military cemetery. Here lie over 1,300 veterans who once called the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home their refuge. Their service spans the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, the Global War on Terror, and includes those who served in times of peace. Each gravestone marks a story of courage, resilience, and devotion to country.

One can imagine the solemn ceremonies that accompanied these burials—the honor guards, the mourners, the final salute. This sacred ground reflects not only the cost of conflict but the enduring commitment of those who defended freedom and later found solace in a home built for them.

Yet time and environment had taken their toll. Though the grounds remained pristine, many gravestones had grown dark with moss and fungus, their inscriptions nearly erased by 130 years of industrial exposure. Names—the very essence of memory—were fading.

Recognizing this, the chapter’s DAR Service for Veterans chair, who had been professionally trained over two years in proper gravestone-cleaning techniques, understood that this effort was not merely about restoring marble; it was about restoring identity, dignity, and history. By preserving these markers, we could ensure that future generations could read the names, speak them aloud, and remember the lives behind them. Volunteers would also gain a deeper respect for historical artifacts and military history.

In the summer of 2023, the DAR chair organized the training, materials, and volunteers to begin the process with two sessions every Monday from May through September, 9–11 a.m. and 5:30–7:30 p.m. There was no source for water, so gallons and gallons of water had to be carried on site. Everyone needed to understand there were no restrooms available. After volunteers learned proper gravestone-cleaning techniques, approved by the National Park Service, each gravestone took about half an hour or more to clean. Plastic scrapers, natural bristle brushes, toothbrushes, wooden skewers, water pump sprayers, and sprayers for the D2 all had to be carried to the cemetery.

The first year, about 200 gravestones were cleaned. In 2024, with a few more volunteers, about 300 more gravestones were cleaned. The DAR chair realized that the project needed more volunteers, so she started a letter-writing and flyer campaign in the Spring 2025. Local TV news channels got involved. Preservation Erie asked if the chair could provide training classes for them, and they would provide volunteers. Erie Insurance volunteers, a Wabtec veterans’ organization, Erie Bank employees, a law firm, the German Cultural Society of Erie, Boy Scouts, local college, high school, and middle school students, and a local plumbing business joined in. Veterans and their families and more Presque Isle Chapter, DAR members wanted to help. The Director of Erie County Veterans Affairs contacted the Pennsylvania National Guard, 112th Infantry, who supplied a “water buffalo,” a military mobile water tank that held 400 gallons of water so that the chair and volunteers no longer needed to bring water onsite.

Not only did the volunteers learn how to clean gravestones, but the work sparked curiosity, research, and a connection to their own families and cemeteries.

Every Monday, these newly trained volunteers used the proper technique, uncovering full names, birth and death years, the company they were in, their rank, and the state their regiment was from. Some veterans were born before 1820, over 200 years ago. The impact of cleaning the graves was immense. As one volunteer wrote, “Cleaning gravestones brings to light the idea of interconnectedness between the past, present and future. These soldiers died and were buried but even in death, they have and give purpose. As I clean these stones, these soldiers connect with me through the centuries. I bring to life, once again, their names and a little of who they were. I have become part of their story, and they have become part of mine.”

By the end of August 2025, when all 1,381 gravestones were cleaned, 150 volunteers of all ages from the Erie area and even Crawford County had helped. The three-year mission was completed. The cemetery was beautiful, and some even compared it to Arlington Cemetery.

On September 8, 2025, an evening ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of the work. To honor the legacy, a brass band played and a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi, and a Protestant minister all blessed this sacred ground. An American Legion Color Guard and Civil War reenactors stood at attention near the Civil War graves, and one reenactor played Ashokan Farewell on his violin while the symbolic last gravestone was cleaned. A tea light rested atop each gravestone, illuminating the cemetery and returning it to its honored legacy. Pennsylvania State government officials attended the ceremony, delivering a promise of continued maintenance.

Because of the scope of the mission in the Erie County community and media coverage, people are visiting the historic cemetery and the nearby Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home. Local JROTC and ROTC battalions participated in Wreaths Across America to honor those veterans at rest in this cemetery. Local veterans recognize the value of honoring veterans who have passed, and they are visiting the cemetery. Local history teachers recognize the value of visiting the cemetery to learn not only about local history but national and global history. Ongoing educational opportunities—such as tours, genealogy research, and civic engagement, as well as gravestone cleaning training sessions—will continue to be fostered by this project. History is etched on these gravestones. These veterans are not just honored in Erie County, but also Pennsylvania and the country.

Historic preservation is an act of honor. It safeguards the tangible links to our past and reminds us that freedom was secured by real people whose stories deserve to endure. This project embodies the spirit of honoring the past and reflects DAR’s enduring commitment to historic preservation, education, and patriotic service.

MaryJane Phillips Koenig is a distinguished historian and community leader based in Erie, Pennsylvania. As chairwoman of the Erie County World War I Centennial Committee, she spearheaded the creation of a permanent memorial for local veterans and co-authored/edited the book, Answering The Call: Erie County, Pennsylvania in World War One. Ms. Koenig has been honored for her hands-on preservation efforts, leading volunteers in cleaning more than 1,300 gravestones at the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Erie. A recipient of a 2023 Greater Erie Award for education and advocacy, she also serves as honorary regent of the Presque Isle Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and serves as a board member for the Erie Society for Genealogical Research, among numerous other leadership roles.