Mary Young is offering her expert headstone cleaning skills for free over the next year. In a project funded by the Ashland Monument Company, Mary will be cleaning headstones at the Ashland Cemetery, at no cost to any families. However, in order to do so, she requires permission from the descendants. If your ancestor is buried in the Ashland Cemetery and their headstone needs cleaning, reach out to ACHS to complete the required request form. Before you complete the form, please note the following:

• Headstones must have death dates prior to 1900.
• Stones must be under 5ft tall.
• The signatory giving permission must be a direct descendant of the person buried in the associated grave.
• Grave cleaning will only be done at the Ashland Cemetery at 523 W. Main St.
• Limit 2 stones per family will be considered. The decision whether to accept or decline the headstone cleaning is solely at Mary Young’s discretion. She reserves the right to accept or decline to clean a stone for size or condition.
• Mary will clean headstones as she is available and may not be able to accommodate all headstone requested in a year.
• Sign-Up for Headstone Cleaning by Mary Young – Fill out form

Mary Young is a resident of the Ashland, OH area. She is a retired nurse that took a great interest in gravestone cleaning and restoration after caring for family tombstones in western NY state. Mary has volunteered her time to multiple cemeteries at her own expense. Since 2021, Mary Young has cleaned 445 gravestones and cenotaphs in Ohio and western NY. Locally, Mary has cleaned many headstones in the Ashland Cemetery with permission by the Ashland Cemetery Association. Mary has taken classes on repairing stones through the 48 State Tour sponsored by Atlas Preservation. In 2025 and 2026, she taught classes on cleaning gravestones at Ashland Public Library, the Ashland Cemetery, and Marvin Memorial Library in Shelby, OH. Throughout 2026, Mary’s historic headstone cleaning will be focused in the Ashland Cemetery as well as in her hometown of Little Valley, NY – projects made possible in part through funding from Ashland Monument Company and the Little Valley Fund. For her, this is an honor and joy to connect those from the past to those in the future by doing grave preservation.

When railroads spread across the United States, they brought permanent changes to every aspect of society. Ashland County was no exception, as the county’s industries and growth were impossible without the advancement of rail. In his 2004 book, local historian, retired librarian at the Ashland Public Library, and train enthusiast, Bill Snyder, explores the little-known story of one of the nation’s rail lines – the Lorain, Ashland & Southern Railroad. Join ACHS at the Freer Children’s Home as Snyder recounts his journey and passion for showcasing the important part of our communities’ histories from the earliest days of railroad ventures in North Central Ohio to the ghosts of the Rattlesnake and Ramsey lines after the 1950s. Book discussion on his 2004 research and publication, The Rattlesnake and the Ramsey: The History of the Lorain, Ashland, and Southern Railroad. This event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:00 with the program starting promptly at 6:30 p.m. Special thanks: The 2026 ACHS Speaker Series is made possible, in part, thanks to a grant from the Ashland County Community Foundation.