St. Paul Lutheran Church Volunteers Restore Historic Gravestones at Pine Grove Mills Cemetery

Members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pine Grove Mills have once again dedicated their time and effort to the preservation of the historic Pine Grove Mills Cemetery. For the third consecutive year, volunteers from the church participated in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s annual day of service, “God’s work. Our hands.” This initiative encourages congregations across the nation to engage in community service, and for St. Paul Lutheran, this meant tending to the cemetery they have owned since 2011.

The volunteers, numbering between eight and ten, worked diligently across the cemetery grounds, employing a three-step process to restore the gravestones. They used D/2 Biological Solution, a preservation-grade cleaner, to gently scrub the markers and remove decades of lichen, moss, and biological staining. This careful restoration brought back the legibility of many gravestones, allowing the inscriptions of names, dates, and other details to be read once again.

The Pine Grove Mills Cemetery, which spans 3.42 acres and holds over 690 interments, is a site of significant local history. Established in 1896, the cemetery has been a repository of the community’s past, with some of the earliest burials dating back to that year. For over a century, the Pine Grove Mills Cemetery Association maintained the grounds until ownership transferred to St. Paul Lutheran Church in 2011.

Ron Strouse, the secretary of the Pine Grove Mills Cemetery, expressed the community’s appreciation for the restoration efforts. “These stones tell the story of Pine Grove Mills, and many of them had grown too weathered to read,” he noted. “Watching the names of our neighbors and ancestors come back into view is deeply moving. Caring for this ground is our way of living out ‘God’s work. Our hands.’ It is faith put into action, right here at home.”

The commitment of St. Paul Lutheran Church to continue this tradition reflects a dedication to preserving the dignity and history of the cemetery for future generations. This act of service aligns with the biblical principle of loving one’s neighbor, as highlighted in Matthew 25:35, where caring for those in need is seen as serving Christ himself. Through their efforts, the church members ensure that the cemetery remains a place of remembrance and respect for the entire community.

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