When Union Cemetery in Patchogue opened sometime after 1791, the United States was less than 20 years old. The intervening centuries have taken their toll on the historic burial ground.

But the volunteer group that maintains Union Cemetery has plans to restore it, and they’re recruiting volunteers to help.

Friends of Lakeview Cemeteries will hold a training session on Saturday, June 10, at which experts from Stewart Preservation will show volunteers how to safely clean and reset Union Cemetery’s headstones and footstones, the oldest of which date back to 1798.

Some of the burial markers are in need of professional care, but others can be cleaned and set upright by trained volunteers, said Arlene Guzman Capobianco, co-chair of Friends of Lakeview Cemeteries and its Headstone and History Committee.

“We’re trying to get a volunteer force trained so we can continue to do what work we can on our own,” she said.

Suffolk County Legis. Dominick Thorne’s office provided a grant from the county hotel tax to pay for the training session.

Guzman Capobianco is hoping for as many volunteers as possible who, after they are trained, would work once a month. About 10 people have signed up so far, she said.

Union Cemetery is the oldest of the five cemeteries that are part of Lakeview Cemeteries.

Friends of Lakeview Cemeteries is raising money to professionally restore the burial markers that need professional care, starting with those in Union Cemetery, Guzman Capobianco said.

If you go:

What: Friends of Lakeview Cemeteries will hold a training session for volunteers to restore the cemeteries’ burial markers.

Where: Lakeview Cemeteries, meet at the shed on the Waverly Avenue side.

When: Saturday, June 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rain date: Saturday, June 17.

How to register: Email  lakeviewcemeteries@gmail.com or register on-site the day of the event starting at 9:30 a.m.

For more information: Visit Friends of Lakeview Cemeteries’ Facebook page.