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Last updated on Thursday, November 10, 2016
BEDFORD - A crew of dedicated volunteers have restored the tombstone of Bedford’s first May John D. Thomasson.
Mayor Thomasson served as the first mayor of the city of Bedford in 1889. He was 76-years-old when he was elected and served only three months before resigning. He became unpopular when he had merchants' displays removed from the sidewalks and thrown into the gutters.
His tombstone is in the historic section of Green Hill Cemetery, east of the 18th Street entrance along the fence line.
The Times-Mail reports that the marker was damaged after a tree limb struck the monument causing the 400-pound steeple to fall to the ground. The base of the 10-foot marble monument was also leaning.
Gene Abel and his crew Dale Platteter, Jay Fiddler, Dave Whipple and Louis Kovacs leveled the monument and reset the steeple. They also sprayed the monument with a cleaning solution designed for tombstones. The solution works slowly over a period of several months with the rain and wind removing any mold and algae on the surface without damaging the stone.
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