Ashley Shares

When I talk to friends from high school, many of our conversations eventually turn to our shared love of Atlanta, the city we grew up in. Usually our discussions are lighthearted and include topics such as food, music, and funny…

Granite is one of the most common stone types we have at Oakland. It’s also one of the most common rocks on earth, making up the continental crust of our planet! Granite is an intrusive igneous rock, meaning that it…

Grave marker cleaning is by far the most common preservation effort that takes place within a cemetery. At Oakland, we have regular volunteer days focused on the task. When done properly, cleaning the headstones and monuments in a cemetery can…

Why do some headstones at Oakland look more weathered than others? Why are some crisp and as easy to read as the day they were carved while others appear to have melted? The primary reason for this has to do…

When the topic of vandalism in public places comes up, one of the first things we think of is graffiti. And for good reason—you cannot go very far in a major city without noticing some form of it. Cemeteries are…

For as long as it has been dangerous, lead has also been incredibly useful. Some historians refer to it as the ancient equivalent of plastic: impossible to live without, but also not that healthy for us. Lead was a popular…