This past Saturday, the Westland Public Library welcomed Dr. Thomas Henthorn and students from the University of Michigan-Flint Department of History for a historic preservation program at the Butler-Ganong Cemetery in Westland, a small but interesting site comprising of about 350 interments and dates back to 1832. Dr. Henthorn and his students taught us about the proper care, cleaning, and repair of historic grave monuments. During the 3.5 hour program, we were able to clean several headstones on the site, as well as use an aluminum crane to lift and reset a headstone into its upright position. This program was made possible by the Wyatt Endowment at the University of Michigan-Flint. We worked with the Westland Historic Commission to host the program and provide further context into the site’s history. Participants gained the resources and skills to clean historic monuments on their own. If your community is interested in this project, please reach out to Dr. Thomas Henthorn at henthorn@umich.edu<mailto:henthorn@umich.edu>. Aubrey Franklin (she/her/hers) Adult Services Librarian William P. Faust Public Library of Westland 734-326-6123 | www.westlandlibrary.org<http://www.westlandlibrary.org>
