The Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries has become a recipient of the Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission’s O’Connor Fund mini-grant program, receiving $2,500 to support gravestone cleaning and preservation work at Mountain Home and Riverside Cemeteries.
The Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission (KHPC) approved the grant unanimously at its June 10 meeting. Commissioner Dusti Morton worked with Gary Swain, President of the Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries, to prepare and submit the application. The O’Connor Fund, held at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, supports historic preservation efforts in the city.
Vice Chair Patrick Vail called the application thorough and well-documented, saying Swain had set a high bar for future applicants. The commission noted that the Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries is actively engaged in public outreach and education as part of its ongoing work, a factor commissioners viewed as well-aligned with the program’s goals.
What the Grant Will Fund
The $2,500 will be used to purchase cleaning tools and D/2 Biological Solution, a product used in national veteran cemeteries and recommended by the National Park Service for gravestone preservation. The organization follows the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training’s Preservation Brief 48, which guides best practices for gravestone cleaning and care.
The plan calls for cleaning up to 400 gravestones over the course of a year through five Second Saturday cleaning events at Mountain Home and Riverside Cemeteries, with additional events planned in partnership with veteran and scouting organizations.
Community Roots
T he Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries was founded in 2022 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The organization expects to recruit between 85 and 100 volunteers for the upcoming year’s work, and has proposed two Eagle Scout projects to the local council that could add to that effort.
Both Mountain Home and Riverside Cemeteries were established during the 19th century Rural Cemetery Movement, which produced park-like landscapes before public parks existed in America. The organization sees their preservation work as expanding the role these spaces can play as public destinations for cultural and community gatherings.
The mini-grant program is new, and the KHPC noted that this award gave the commission useful experience with the application and review process. Program guidelines will be refined based on what was learned.
