Despite its importance, Laurel Hill, like many historic cemeteries stands at a crossroads. It is surrounded on three sides by the city that grew out to meet it. It sees few burials, scant visitation and little income. The condition of the cemetery has gradually declined throughout the twentieth century, but the tide may be turning. There is a new commitment to the repair and resetting of fallen stones, straightening dangerously leaning obelisks, and attention to deteriorated road systems.

In addition to individual preservation projects, the cemetery has embarked on a strategic planning process designed to help chart a course of revitalization for this neglected landmark. To assist the planning process, staff and student interns with the National Park Service's Monument Program have carried out a condition assessment of randomly-selected cemetery lots at Laurel Hill. Survey teams gathered data that has provided a first look at the condition of Laurel Hill's monuments and a focus on the cemetery's weakened infrastructure.

The cemetery contains more than 33,000 monuments on more than 11,000 family burial lots. Through our survey data, we can now estimate how many have toppled, how many are loose or leaning, how many are missing, how many have eroding foundations, and in what sections of the cemetery particular problems predominate. This snapshot view of about 4 per cent of the cemetery's family lots will help direct and prioritize the long-range preservation efforts that will be a key ingredient of Laurel Hill's return to health.