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During my first semester in the Heritage Resources program at NSU, our Methods class had something called a monument treatment assignment. Each student selected a gravestone -- headstone, flat marker, Woodmen of the World memorial, etc. -- and was responsible for cleaning it in the proper manner and documenting the entire process. Take pictures, note damage and staining, determine changes from start to finish, and keep a record of how long each step took.
I selected the grave of Mary Grace Williams, a child of my grandparents who was born and died on the same day. The stone was covered with gray and black dirt and biological growth. Upon cleaning I saw immediate results, as much of the staining came off during application of the cleaning solution and a water rinse. I thought the work was easy, straightforward, and satisfying. The fact that I was working on a family marker was an added bonus. This assignment eventually led to the development of my project thesis on cemetery preservation.
Fast forward to the summer of 2010, when I was looking around for work after graduation. I didn't find anything that I really wanted or that really wanted me, so by fall I started looking into starting my own grave cleaning company. I spoke to a historical society in Leesville, and one woman there told me that she was so glad to see this kind of business, because she didn't know anybody did that sort of thing.
In October I filed articles of organization with the Louisiana Secretary of State's office. Their letter back to me said that it was "a pleasure" to approve my articles. A friend joked that he could imagine them sitting at their desk, weeping as they read through my articles that had moved them so. There was more paperwork for the IRS, the state, the Natchitoches Zoning Board and the Natchitoches Tax Commission. The end result is that I've got a business license, a tax ID number, and a business banking account.
The best thing about the banking account is the business debit card that comes with it. It's pretty sweet. When we used to plan happy hours at Capitol Advantage, sometimes we made sure to invite someone with a company credit card on the off chance they might decide to use it on our behalf. I don't plan on too many company happy hours, but it's still a cool thing to have.
Back in November, the Jefferson Historical Society contacted Save Our Cemeteries about having preservation work done on the John McDonogh tomb in McDonoghville Cemetery in Gretna, LA. SOC referred them to me, and I had a meeting with a society member and the Mayor of Gretna at the site. I returned on January 6 and spent seven hours cleaning the tomb.
NOTE: The tomb is technically a cenotaph, since he is no longer buried there. Ten years after he was entombed, his body was moved back to his hometown of Baltimore.
It was a gorgeous 60-degree day without a cloud in the sky. If you've seen the movie Field of Dreams, you may remember the part where one of the ballplayers asks Kevin Costner, "Is this heaven?" and Costner replies, "No. This is Iowa." Around 3 in the afternoon I stepped back from the tomb and looked around, then looked at the sky. Was this heaven? No, this was Gretna. But it was still a great way to spend a day.
I wrote up a work report and invoice and sent it to the city, and this past week I got the check in the mail. I was quite happy. Now I'm a legitimate businessman, and I got to post the Facebook status I've been looking forward to for months:
"Scott Williams is his own boss. I hate my boss."
I've got a couple more irons in the fire, which could be taking place in February. I will try to post about these on the Williams Grave Cleaning website.
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As an aside:
I spoke with someone the other day who asked if I wanted to live in New Orleans. I told him that years ago I wanted to live there for a couple of years, just to go through the seasons a couple of times and get into the flow of the city. My internship there in 2009 scratched that itch for a while, but I could still go back.
He said, "Well, I tried to get you a job down there the other day." The Chalmette Battlefield is part of the National Park Service, and they have about 15,000 marked graves in the cemetery there. He told the park folks that he knew somebody who would be happy to come down and clean them all.
For the record, it would take me a long, long, LONG time to do all of those. I don't even have a clue how long. But at about $35 each, it would cost them about half a million dollars. I think I could manage to live in New Orleans for half a million bucks.
I've got a couple more irons in the fire, which could be taking place in February. I will try to post about these on the Williams Grave Cleaning website.
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As an aside:
I spoke with someone the other day who asked if I wanted to live in New Orleans. I told him that years ago I wanted to live there for a couple of years, just to go through the seasons a couple of times and get into the flow of the city. My internship there in 2009 scratched that itch for a while, but I could still go back.
He said, "Well, I tried to get you a job down there the other day." The Chalmette Battlefield is part of the National Park Service, and they have about 15,000 marked graves in the cemetery there. He told the park folks that he knew somebody who would be happy to come down and clean them all.
For the record, it would take me a long, long, LONG time to do all of those. I don't even have a clue how long. But at about $35 each, it would cost them about half a million dollars. I think I could manage to live in New Orleans for half a million bucks.
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