Headstone cleaning test at Placerville Union Cemetery #5

A look at an adjacent headstone: Hoskins. It is nearly illegible... being consumed by destructive lichen. Many of the old headstones in this section of Placerville Union Cemetery are in same sitch. So sad.
It should be noted that the section where this test is being conducted is adjacent to a mausoleum sidewalk and an unpaved service road, both of which are relatively flat popular walkways. This is relevant because the terrain in this hilltop cemetery is uneven. Footing is poor and walking is difficult for many, especially the elderly. Most of the old "cart paths" (originally used by horse-drawn funeral carriages to deliver coffins to the graveside) were converted to additional burial plots in the 1970s. This was legal, but eliminated most of walking paths in the historic sections of this grand Victorian Garden cemetery.
All of which means makes the beautiful old headstones in this section high visibility.