Well, from your point of view, maybe.....but I've been stationed at one site
over several years and have seen a parade of genealogists, archaeologists,
historians, folklorists, artists, and enumerable school groups that all want
to do rubbings of the same stones. Each is sure that they are the only ones
that want to do rubbings......

Linda Derry
Site Director
Old Cahawba Archaeological Site
719 Tremont Street
Selma, AL 36701-5446
334/875-2529
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
> Holland, Jeff
> Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 4:36 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: safe gravestone rubbing
>
>
> Not to sound insensitive, but it seems that some of the concerns
> mentioned here seem minor with respect to the purpose of doing
> rubbings (i.e. recording the data from the stone before it
> becomes illegible). Given that the inscriptions are so faint as
> to require such methods, the microscopic damage caused by a
> crayon or charcoal rubbing seems irrelevant when considered
> against the fact that another year of wind and rain will cause
> the same amount of damage and bring the inscription even closer
> to total illegibility. Obviously one should use the least
> destructive method practicable. But lacking the necessary time,
> tools, supplies, money, etc., would it not be better to record
> the info as best as one can before it is lost to the elements,
> vandalism, etc.?
>
> Jeff
> *************************
> Jeffrey L. Holland
> Senior Historian
> TRC Companies, Inc.
> 3772 Pleasantdale Road,
> Suite 200
> Atlanta, Georgia 30340
> 770-270-1192
> ************************
>