Medford, OR. — A series of historic monuments at Eastwood Cemetery were repaired in mid-October as part of an ongoing effort to preserve one of the city’s oldest burial grounds.
Yellow caution tape surrounded the leaning headstone of Eliza J. Hamlin, marking it as one of 22 monuments restored during the project. The work was carried out by Chase Memorials, whose crew spent a week releveling and reglueing aging marble and granite markers to enhance both safety and appearance.
“I love cemeteries. I just think they’re historical art,” said Sean Chase, owner of Chase Memorials.
Many of the markers date back to the late 1800s and commemorate some of Medford’s earliest and most prominent residents. Over time, monuments shifted or loosened due to soil settling and root growth. Using an excavator and heavy-duty straps, workers carefully lifted Hamlin’s headstone—she died in 1895—and stabilized the site with gravel before reattaching the monument with durable adhesive.
The $8,650 project was funded through a $4,325 grant from the Oregon Historic Cemeteries Program, matched by the cemetery. In recent years, more than 60 headstones have been restored at Eastwood Cemetery, which was founded in 1890 and acquired by the City of Medford in 1972. The site is currently managed by the Medford Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department.
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