VinceKoers(a)aol.com
I suppose it depends upon who you ask. People interested in cemetery
restoration and preservation typically disagree with the concept of allowing
a cemetery premises to completely overgrow with 6-8 foot tall prairie
grasses, multiflora rose, thistle and other vegetation. It's all but
impossible for family members to visit and pay their respect, or for
genealogists and researchers to study monuments during most of the year when
this graveyard is impassable.
Whether or not burning in cemeteries is detrimental to monuments and other
features is a topic that has been discussed at some length here in the past.
The truth is that no one really knows the answer to your question. There
are many site dependant variables and the long term effects have not been
adequately studied and are not well understood. Common sense would suggest
that heat, smoke and soot applied purposely and routinely will have an
adverse impact on stone grave markers, but common sense doesn't seem to be
much of a deterrent to those interested only in preserving nature.
And then there is the moral aspect. Take a close look at the photos on the
following web page:
http://www.har-indy.com/granville_cemetery.html
Does anyone really believe that the family of the people buried in the
wrought-iron fenced plot carefully constructed this niche in the Granville
cemetery with the intention of letting it overgrow and to be undermined by
burrowing animals? Look around, there are quite a few other very nice
monuments in this cemetery. It doesn't seem plausible that the folks who
placed their graves here intended for the site to be cared for in this
manner...but then that's common sense sneaking in again.
When I spoke with the township trustee about the Granville cemetery, he
allowed that both he and his predecessor have heard from and continue to
receive many calls from relatives and others interested in visiting the
site; most of which exhibit anger and dismay over the way this cemetery is
being maintained. The trustee can do little more than agree. The township
long ago relinquished its control of the cemetery to the DNR whose sole
purpose is to use the site as a garden for natural prairie grasses.
It has already been pointed out that the Granville cemetery/Wea Plains
nature preserve itself has been mismanaged and permitted to harbor
non-indigenous vegetation including a large patch of multiflora rose in the
northeast quadrant and throughout this cemetery. Those responsible for the
natural grasses also failed to recognize or act upon the significant damage
to the site by woodchucks and or other burrowing animals. Undermined stones
were found obviously leaning with coffin furniture in the back dirt and, in
at least one instance, human remains were discovered scattered about the
surface.
Again, is all of this really necessary given that the State Park here in
Tippecanoe county has a relatively large area where the natural prairie
grasses are now flourishing, and where burning and burrowing is not
destructive or offensive?
Rich Green
Historic Archaeological Research
4338 Hadley Court
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Office: (765) 464-8735
Mobile: (765) 427-2949
www.har-indy.com
----- Original Message -----
From: <VinceKoers(a)aol.com>
To: <inpcrp(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 12:12 AM
Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Granville Cemetery
Hi Rich & all...
Is burning in areas with stones considered appropriate? I would think that
could be detrimental to the condition of the stone...
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