Memorializing those who have served their country is important, but so is maintaining those monuments.

Harrison Thayer is using his Eagle Scout Candidate’s Patriotic Project to rehabilitate grave markers at the Fayetteville Cemetery.

The 21-acre cemetery was founded in 1864.

This past Memorial Day, Thayer was placing Memorial Day flags and noticed that many grave markers were covered in moss and almost completely unreadable. It was a no-brainer that rehabilitating them would be his Eagle Scout project.

“An Eagle Scout is the highest rank in Boy Scouts that you can achieve," Thayer said. "It shows that you have really good social skills and are also really helpful towards your community.” 

Last month, Thayer and some of his fellow Scouts had a cleanup day. They were able to rehabilitate close to 600 grave markers.

“We got a lot more than I thought I would have actually gotten done," Thayer said. "We were just much more efficient because of that.” 

With the help of a couple of the cemetery’s trustees and some research, they were able to find the perfect tools and chemicals to clean the grave markers.

“There’s a few components to it," Fayetteville Cemetery Association President John Puglisi said. "One, you can’t see who they are. So even if you’re interested from a historical perspective in who’s here, it would be beneficial to be able to see what you’re looking at. Then, of course, the families want to come and trace their ancestry or just look at the people who they’ve lost. It’s just really nice to have them cleaned.” 

He says there are a lot of historical figures buried at this cemetery.

“There’s a Revolutionary War veteran here, Levi Carr," Puglisi said. "There’s a person from an African American division from the Civil War who’s up by the wall over there. So there’s veterans from every war.” 

And Onondaga County native Matilda Joslyn Gage, a women’s rights activist, is also buried there.

Thayer says he will continue to clean the grave markers in the fall and spring.