About Us
We are a family-owned small business based in Oxford, NC.
We know that understanding history helps us understand ourselves.
Cemeteries are places where people remember their loved ones, so we approach our work in the field with respect, both for those who have passed and for those who remember.
Who are we?
Hilary and Michael
We are a happily married couple committed to applying scholarship to monument restoration.
Michael is a historian, currently enrolled in a PhD program in Public History at North Carolina State University (NCSU), and holds a Master's Degree in Historic Preservation from UNC-Greensboro (UNCG) and a Bachelor's degree in History from North Carolina Central University (NCCU). Michael apprenticed under the late Dean Ruedrich, a master craftsman in historic preservation. Michael continues his education with workshops on traditional stone masonry (e.g., Brooklyn, NY and Stirling, Scotland). Michael has served on various historic preservation committees and boards in the Piedmont region of North Carolina and is available as an independent consultant. Michael is also a member of Eagle Lodge #19, AF&AM in Hillsborough, NC.
Hilary is a scientist, holding a Master's Degree in Cell Biology from Illinois Institute of Technology and a bachelor's degree from University of South Carolina. Hilary has served on the Boards of local living history non-profits and is a current member of the Rotary Club of Hillsborough, NC.
Together, we work on site to provide thoughtful and methodical approaches to repairing and restoring historic cemetery monuments. We are members of the Association for Gravestone Studies and are committed to advancing the scholarship around historic cemeteries.
Alongside our passion for science and history, we love our beagles and have fostered many dogs, and one cat, over the years, always adopting through various rescue groups.
