The cross-topped gravestone was dark brown, its engravings illegible, lost beneath a thick layer of grime. Alicia Williams began, as she does with every restoration, by gently scraping away debris with a plastic putty knife. She then rinsed the surface with a biodegradable solution and scrubbed it with a soft brush. After another rinse and some drying time came the big reveal: a pristine white tombstone bearing a clear inscription.JosephineDaughter of O.G. & G.P. BellJuly 19, 1899.Nov. 10, 1903.A little child shall lead them. But the real magic of Williams’s…
