MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, YORK COUNTY - -
An historic Civil War statue, erected in 1874, is getting a makeover. It's being cleaned, re-surfaced and waxed, to reverse the damage caused by spending nearly two centuries in the elements.
"Weather, age and pollution, all those things took their toll & it was very much in need of restoration," says Jack Sommer, Managing Partner of Prospect Hill Cemetery in Manchester Township, York County.
The statue of a Civil War Union soldier stands over "Soldier's Circle" at Prospect Hill. In the circle, the remains of 162 Union soldiers killed in battle, are buried.
"The same as the soldiers we're losing today, one of our commitments as a free nation should be that we never forget & this is evidence that we won't," Sommer says.
For the past two weeks, the statue and surrounding grounds have been going through a major restoration. The work is being done by Karen Fix, a conservator based in Virginia.
In her opinion, the bronze statue was in pretty rough shape, the result of 136 years of corrosion. It was covered with green & black streaks.
"I cleaned off the loose corrosion & put a chemical patina on it that makes the color a little more uniform & after that, I put on a coating of wax & that protects it," Fix says.
Fix will also reposition the granite slabs that surround the statue. They list the names of all 162 Union soldiers buried there. Over time, they've shifted out of place.
"Some of the names cross from one to the other so the stones are out of line and you can't read the names," Fix says.
"This is something we're preserving for our community, I think it's a sense of history & a sense of pride that York played such an important role during the Civil War," says Sommer.
Prospect Hill is a Federal Cemetery, that's why the Government is paying Karen Fix to make the repairs. She says with proper upkeep "Soldier's Circle" will remain intact and looking new for another 100 years.
"Weather, age and pollution, all those things took their toll & it was very much in need of restoration," says Jack Sommer, Managing Partner of Prospect Hill Cemetery in Manchester Township, York County.
The statue of a Civil War Union soldier stands over "Soldier's Circle" at Prospect Hill. In the circle, the remains of 162 Union soldiers killed in battle, are buried.
"The same as the soldiers we're losing today, one of our commitments as a free nation should be that we never forget & this is evidence that we won't," Sommer says.
For the past two weeks, the statue and surrounding grounds have been going through a major restoration. The work is being done by Karen Fix, a conservator based in Virginia.
In her opinion, the bronze statue was in pretty rough shape, the result of 136 years of corrosion. It was covered with green & black streaks.
"I cleaned off the loose corrosion & put a chemical patina on it that makes the color a little more uniform & after that, I put on a coating of wax & that protects it," Fix says.
Fix will also reposition the granite slabs that surround the statue. They list the names of all 162 Union soldiers buried there. Over time, they've shifted out of place.
"Some of the names cross from one to the other so the stones are out of line and you can't read the names," Fix says.
"This is something we're preserving for our community, I think it's a sense of history & a sense of pride that York played such an important role during the Civil War," says Sommer.
Prospect Hill is a Federal Cemetery, that's why the Government is paying Karen Fix to make the repairs. She says with proper upkeep "Soldier's Circle" will remain intact and looking new for another 100 years.
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