State Grant Helps Restore 22 Monuments at Historic Eastwood Cemetery

Published on October 24, 2025

A series of historic monuments at Eastwood Cemetery were repaired in mid-October as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the integrity of one of the City’s oldest burial grounds.

Yellow caution tape surrounded the leaning headstone of Eliza J. Hamlin, marking it as one of the 22 monuments restored during the project. The work was carried out by Chase Memorials, whose crew spent a week carefully releveling and reglueing aging marble and granite monuments to improve 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, sunk, or loosened due to soil settling or nearby 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 strong adhesive. A final check with a level confirmed the headstone was properly aligned.

The project was supported by a $4,325 grant from the Oregon Historic Cemeteries Program, matched by the cemetery for a total of $8,650. In recent years, more than 60 headstones have been restored at Eastwood Cemetery.

Founded in 1890 and acquired by the City in 1972, the cemetery is currently managed by the Medford Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department.