SAUGUS — Gordon Shepard has spent more than a decade serving those who have served. Now, he's being recognized by a national Civil War descendents organization for his work.
Shepard, a U.S. Army veteran, completed a restoration project on the Civil War section of the cemetery in April.
The Vietnam veteran raised $12,000 and spent the past five years working on the project.
The plaques in the Civil War section were mismatched. Some were taller than others and almost all of them differed in style and font. Shepard found one that was legible and used a combination of the different styles, and used the stone as a model when he recreated the markers.
He found an old picture of the monument from the historical society and learned that two small ledges once held stacks of cannonballs. He reached out to another veteran volunteer, Nick Milo, who helped him replace them with stacks of granite balls.
He completed the restoration just in time for it to be viewed by crowds of spectators on Memorial Day.
www.itemlive.com
Shepard, a U.S. Army veteran, completed a restoration project on the Civil War section of the cemetery in April.
The Vietnam veteran raised $12,000 and spent the past five years working on the project.
The plaques in the Civil War section were mismatched. Some were taller than others and almost all of them differed in style and font. Shepard found one that was legible and used a combination of the different styles, and used the stone as a model when he recreated the markers.
He found an old picture of the monument from the historical society and learned that two small ledges once held stacks of cannonballs. He reached out to another veteran volunteer, Nick Milo, who helped him replace them with stacks of granite balls.
He completed the restoration just in time for it to be viewed by crowds of spectators on Memorial Day.
Saugus man to be honored for restoring Civil War graves at Riverside Cemetery
SAUGUS — Gordon Shepard has spent more than a decade serving those who have served. Now, he’s being recognized by a national Civil War descendents organization for his work. Shepard, a U.S. Army veteran, completed a restoration project on the Civil War section of the cemetery in April. The...
www.itemlive.com
Bringing the