Poplar Grove's plight was the result, at least in part, of misguided good intentions and lack of resources. In 1933, the care of the cemetery was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service, which had little experience in managing cemeteries. To save on grass cutting costs and to create a more parklike appearance in the cemetery, officials decided during the Great Depression to alter the headstones. Some 2,300 upright markers were made into flat stones, and about 3,400 blocks for the unknown were sunk into the ground, increasing the risk of damage and wear. In some instances, multiple soldiers are buried in one plot. The "Tombstone House" a few miles from the cemetery was coated with the lower part of headstones. The "Tombstone House" a few miles from the cemetery was coated with the lower part of headstones. For the upright headstones to be converted to flat ones, the bases of the stones had to be cut off. Hundreds of those bases were sold to a nearby resident, who used them on the exterior of his home and to pave a small sidewalk. In the following decades, no significant upgrades were performed at the cemetery, which is maintained by Petersburg National Battlefield.