Cemetary- Oh Boy!

Mud-puppy · Feb 24, 2017

flyguy784 said:
Well, it's not a care taker. It's a volunteer group of about 50 people that are trying to restore the whole cemetery before it's not even recognizable as a cemetery. They're clearing off all the brush, cutting down trees etc. We saw a half dozen headstones that were almost totally engulfed by large trees. It's a multi year project. Vandals have broken so many markers and monuments, it's truly insane.

50 people involved? This is worse than I thought! You say its like a grave robbing ghoulish gang then? Lord have mercy! You should try your best to stop this!

Just like that one movie!..Family moves into a housing development..next thing they know, its all built on a graveyard and their kid gets sucked through the TV screen! :laughing:

MrNovice · Feb 24, 2017

Who owns this property? The town? You said the ownership was lost, did it get a lien by the city because of taxes or what's the story? Still pretty creepy...

flyguy784 · Feb 24, 2017

I'm not sure who owns it, I'll ask. It's a strange situation. A road was put in that split the property. That road became a municipal/city boundary. Now, because of the cost, neither the city nor the town want to claim ownership because of the tremendous costs to keep it up. The ownership battle has been going on for decades. In that time, no one has taken any level of responsibility for it's upkeep. I've found a few real old cemetery's in the mountains, fishing, backpacking etc but I've never seen anything like this before.

MrNovice · Feb 24, 2017

flyguy784 said:
I'm not sure who owns it, I'll ask. It's a strange situation. A road was put in that split the property. That road became a municipal/city boundary. Now, because of the cost, neither the city nor the town want to claim ownership because of the tremendous costs to keep it up. The ownership battle has been going on for decades. In that time, no one has taken any level of responsibility for it's upkeep. I've found a few real old cemetery's in the mountains, fishing, backpacking etc but I've never seen anything like this before.

That's kinda strange. 150 acres and you think the town would want to snatch it up quick because of property taxes. I guess they'd feel liable to have to maintain it.

flyguy784 · Feb 24, 2017

There'd be no one to get taxes from. They'd own it and have to maintain it. I do agree, it's strange.

Digger-Dave · Feb 24, 2017

Mud-puppy said:
Yeah, but he never made a post about it did he? Besides, Cemetery caretaker people are very untrustworthy..as are all undertakers...They got it easy and take shortcuts all the time!...

Happens all the time..Just a few years ago, that one crematory guy in Georgia had like 200 stiffs sitting out in back of his house!....

Mud, at least he got permission and was welcomed in by someone of land authority here.

I remember that case in GA. :shock:

The old furnace might have been on the fritz, so why bother having it repaired if you don't really have to? :laughing:

flyguy784 · Feb 24, 2017

Digger-Dave said:
Mud, at least he got permission and was welcomed in by someone of land authority here.

I remember that case in GA. The old furnace might have been on the fritz, so why bother having it repaired if you don't really have to?

Let me clarify one thing. We didn't ask permission. We were asked to help find metal........ finials, plaques, statues, markers etc.

Numil · Feb 24, 2017

You're doing a great community service even if digging in a graveyard. Kudos to you and the rest of the 50 or so friends.

Footpeg · Feb 24, 2017

Careful there.... sometimes bad juju diggin in the deads bed........ in the old days some folks left coins for the deceased not for you.....

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ohiochris · Feb 24, 2017

Footpeg said:
Careful there.... sometimes bad juju diggin in the deads bed........ in the old days some folks left coins for the deceased not for you.....

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I agree with this.

However this is apparently a gray area under the circumstances. Where the problems arise is when people seek permission for personal gain , thinking of plundering the area for all the cool relics and silver dollars they are sure must be there ,.....even though rarely will there be anything in a graveyard worth hunting for. Even though they are old , they are seldom if ever worth anybodys time to hunt. The idea of hunting graveyards and taking things that for all anyone knows may have been left there by loved ones on purpose , whether still on the graves or scattered by weather and animals throughout the general area , is something that should not be condoned in our hobby.

Some have no problem with it , but if their mother left her wedding ring near their fathers grave , or some other item of special significance , and some goober with a metal detector nabbed it they would likely change their mind.

But it appears as though this situation is different so I really have no comment on it.

Barracuda · Feb 24, 2017

I was asked to do this exact same thing. I said No.

I said NO because you dont know what could have been placed on top of somebodys grave as a symbol.

The same goes for coins.

I know people will justify your hunt in doing the right thing by looking for markers, but wouldn't you feel the slightest little bit of terribleness if you dug up a dead soldiers coin left by his wife on his grave and call it clad or coin?

A shovel doesn't belong in there unless you're the gravedigger.

amc rulz · Feb 25, 2017

Hmmm...sounds like that place was hunted out.

AIRFORCEMIKE · Feb 25, 2017

Good thing you got all them coins and sacred objects out of the way to help restore it. Bottom line is trimming the area, picking up the trash and clearing brush would have satisfied or convinced me that your real motive was to help restore the cemetery; once you dived into recovering coins, you lost my respect. You won't get many if any to buy into and means if bringing LIFE back into that cemetery and helping out while taking and removing old pieces of history or sacred object. Take time and read why people leave coins at tombstones for their loved ones. Its a military tradition and your coins could be tracked back to civil war soldiers since the tradition is 100's of years old.

No matter what the original intention of the coin or pebble may be, it seems clear that when left on a headstone it’s a symbol of remembrance and respect. I will leave it at that. And here is one of many great articles about coins left at tombstones.

https://cherrieswriter.wordpress.com/2015/09/06/meaning-of-coins-left-on-a-soldiers-grave/

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Mud-puppy · Feb 25, 2017

Boxcar Willie did a song about people leaving money at graves titled. "Luther"
You can youtube it even!
Its addresses the subject pretty good..theres a heap of quarters piled high on Luther's grave... :laughing:

Cemetary- Oh Boy!

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flyguy784

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