Sisters preserve history one headstone at a time

Cemetery Sisters hope to take on larger projects

(SUNMAN, Ind.) – Two local sisters have a unique way of beautifying Southeastern Indiana and sharing its history.

Erica Smith and Aryn Webster grew up in Rising Sun next to an old cemetery. As young girls they would explore the cemetery and the history within it. They also took notice of the poor condition of the headstones, which later inspired them to create a business called Cemetery Sisters.

Smith and Webster began cleaning headstones five years ago and launched the Cemetery Sisters Facebook page in the spring of 2024 to expand their business throughout Southeastern Indiana. 

The sisters offer cleaning services by weeding, removing debris and using a chemical to eat away at growth. The all-natural solution begins working in only 15 minutes and continues to brighten the headstone for months up to a year. In addition to the solution, the sisters use only soft products to avoid causing any damage to the stone.

The Cemetery Sisters take pride in providing cleanings for service members. As a sign of gratitude and respect, they leave a free flag following the cleaning.

In addition to cleanings, the Cemetery Sisters also fulfill photo requests through Find A Grave, an app that allows people to connect to their ancestry by providing information about gravesites worldwide.

Smith said, “We want to prevent where you can't read the names or where the stones are in bad shape, we want to prevent that along with people still being able to see the history.”

While it is a business, it's also a passion for the sisters.

In their spare time, they enjoy visiting cemeteries and highlighting well-known people and events from the area.

Recently, they featured a historical site in River View Cemetery in Aurora located near the spot Colonel Lochry’s regiment was defeated in August 1781 by a coalition of British and Indians.

Moving forward, the Cemetery Sisters hope to work with towns, churches and cemeteries to take on larger group projects to beautify communities and highlight the rich history throughout Southeastern Indiana.

For more information about their services, you can contact the Cemetery Sisters here.

This story was written by The 812's Valerie Weston.