Spring 2011 Mike Imlah

Fairfield Cemetery Project

The Keene memorial needed repair so I first leveled the base by digging around the base, lifted and added gravel. I used the weight of the base to compact the gravel and once things were level the base was lowerd back into place, dirt rock and soil were replaced and the next phase began. I made up a jig so the shaft could be moved up to the proper height. Finally I slid the shaft over onto the plinth, did some final adjustment, replanted grass and could finally relax.

There are several smaller blade type stones that have broken and I will be fixing most of those. The first thing to do with any of these is to level the base. Sometimes, what looks like the base is not, but is more like a smaller base on top of a larger base. So even though the monument looks as though it is sitting on top of a relatively minor sized base, a much larger one sits below the surface.

The Harding set has proved challenging. The Malcom Harding monument cannot be repaired so a frame will be manufactured to hold the pieces in place and then mounted to the base.

Keene Memorial

 
(below)
The shaft had fallen last year so I got it off the ground.
After resetting the base level, I used two gantries, one on each end of a platform, to raise the shaft up to the needed height.
Front view of screw system to draw the shaft onto the plinth.
Back view of screw system.(right) Blocks were added to continue drawing shaft further onto the plinth.
(far right) Reset to do the final adjustments.
(left) Moving the plinth back into place.
(last two)
Finally finished with added grass seed and topsoil.

Various Stones
The Millsaps and the Robertson monuments were both washed before resetting.
Martha Gaines
Two stones share one long base. Ella and Sally Harding.
The father of the Harding family was B.F. Harding. B.F. Harding was a U.S. Senator for the Oregon Territory and became the Secretary of the Oregon Territory.