How We Began

In the summer of 1994, Paul Koons and his daughter, Karin Stocking, then Karin Jones, began the cleaning, stabilization and restoration of the mausoleum of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock and his daughter, Ada Elizabeth, at Montgomery Cemetery in Norristown, Pennsylvania. With the gracious help of many private citizens, reenacting groups, Civil War Rountables and one very dedicatedmonument professional, Bill Wenz, the team with the permission of the Historical Society of Montgomery County (the owners of the mausoleum) formed the Hancock Restoration and Maintenance Committee, a sub-committee of the Historical Society.

The restoration included removing 2 inches of cement from the roof which was cracked and allowing water to congregate underneath (deteriorating the true mausoleum roof), removing a granite slab which served as a permanent seal on the tomb front replacing it with an authentic reproduction of the original iron ornamental gate which once graced the mausoleum entrance. All the arch stones in the front and back were removed, recemented and the exterior was power washed after all the stones were repointed.

On the interior, the resting place of the General and his daughter were determined and bronze plaques were set to mark them. What a joy it was to finally see the inside of the tomb and know that in the future we would be able to monitor the health of the mausoleum just be viewing it!

An outside area beautification included surveying the Hancock plot, planting rows of trees and bushes, erecting a flag pole and adding small gardens of flowers.

Today, the maintenance of the mausoleum is administered by Paul Koons and Bruce Stocking all year long!