Whistling Past the Graveyard

I photograph cemeteries as a hobby. I'm particular...

2009-08-12T15:18:45.344-07:00

I photograph cemeteries as a hobby. I'm particulary drawn to those in Europe and the American South. The stories of entire families can be followed in old cemeteries. I'm sorry these new ones with identical flat markers won't provide the same sense of history for future generations.

This is so shocking! It has been covered on all t...

2009-07-13T17:16:40.426-07:00

This is so shocking! It has been covered on all the Cleveland, Ohio stations. Thank you for posting your local newspaper sites for a fuller account.

Thanks for posting this. Many of my ancestors are...

2009-07-02T18:16:48.446-07:00

Thanks for posting this. Many of my ancestors are buried in Columbiana County and my brother and I had an opportunity to visit East Liverpool two summers ago.

What a great article! I have relatives buried in W...

2009-06-03T01:06:32.484-07:00

What a great article! I have relatives buried in Woodland Cemetery & hope to visit someday. I'll keep that column to do a 'tour'. Thanks for pointing it out.

The article missed the point with the statement th...

2009-06-02T21:28:50.894-07:00

The article missed the point with the statement that the project "...could have caused disturbance at
an adjacent historical cemetery." The project has and is causing extensive damage to Waco's first public cemetery. The project isn't adjacent to the cemetery, it's IN the cemetery. For details see www.firststreetcemetery.org

I awarded your blog the “One Lovely Blog” award. ...

2009-05-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

I awarded your blog the “One Lovely Blog” award.

See:

http://graveyardrabbitofsanduskybay.blogspot.com/2009/05/thanks-for.html

The first time I heard about cemeteries regarding ...

2009-04-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

The first time I heard about cemeteries regarding planning was an article about the planned community of Columbia, MD where as it aged they realized they left out a cemetery. I also had to do research on the regulation of cemeteries when as a local planner the local cemetery wanted to construct musoleums for which we had no regulations. There were some other problems we encountered with the local cemetery...so regulations are necessary.

Another interesting example is Mount Pleasant Ceme...

2009-03-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

Another interesting example is Mount Pleasant Cemetary in Toronto, which is active (i.e. still growing) but also integrated into part of a cycling and walking trail network. This network effectively links the cemetary with other green open spaces in the city, making it part of the life (and death) of the city.

Hmmm, well that means the buyer can spend any mone...

2009-03-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, well that means the buyer can spend any money held from lot owners for maintenance, and sell the property for development. That has already happened in Jackson, MI..
A buyer also bought Cadillac Memorial Gardens near Mt. Clemens and spent the assets. If the cemeteries are sold, you have no control over them. If a cemetery is sold, there is no guarantee it will be maintained if not developed.
Oakhill has a great view and a centralized location!

For those who would like to judge the issue for th...

2009-03-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

For those who would like to judge the issue for themselves, our report on the cemetery is available at http://www.chicora.org/pdfs/RC504.pdf.

Michael Trinkley
Chicora Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 8664
Columbia, SC 29202
803-787-6910
www.chicora.org

Historic Mt Auburn Cemetary may be a prized exampl...

2009-03-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Historic Mt Auburn Cemetary may be a prized example the park-cemetary model, but at least one of its operational policies really sucks. While the cemetary welcomes the motoring public, cyclists are prohibited. In his book, The Paradise of All These Parts; A Natural History of Boston, author John Mitchell notes that even the designer of Mt. Auburn Cemetary considered the Forest Hill Cemetary, in nearby Jamaica Plain, to be a "better example of a landscaped country cemetary." And the enlightened management at Forest Hills Cemetary welcomes bicycles!

I've followed Kunstler's work on and off, but this...

2009-03-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

I've followed Kunstler's work on and off, but this was perhaps the most insightful thing of his I've read so far. Cemeteries will remain a religious (i.e. private domain) issue as well as a civic one, not to mention the fact that more people have been choosing cremation and may choose other more environmentally-responsible means in the future. However, it is an important aspect of any city (historic or otherwise) which should be in a planner's mind when looking at the area as a whole. Thanks for the food for thought!

Thanks for sharing.regardsGIS Provider

2009-03-24T02:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks for sharing.
regards
GIS Provider

What a fascinating blog! Thanks for doing this. I'...

2009-03-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

What a fascinating blog! Thanks for doing this. I'm a planning student, and I'm writing a paper on the land use laws around cemeteries, particularly relating to the constitutionality of religious expression. You've given me plenty of paths to follow.

I recently came accross your blog and have been re...

2009-03-20T02:30:00.000-07:00

I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Alanna

http://www.craigslistsimplified.info

I believe you have made a bold statement. I agree...

2009-03-17T05:48:00.000-07:00

I believe you have made a bold statement. I agree with you in each aspect of your article.

Keep putting the word out.

Good job.

Best wishes,

Jack
http://www.resurrection-mission.com

Deb,Nice job with the article. I found it very inf...

2009-03-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

Deb,
Nice job with the article. I found it very informative and poinaint. I hope those who read it will be just as outraged as the rest of us in the field and get out there and start helping to save their historic past for their children's future.
Dusty Smith

My first inkling that cemetery flooding was an iss...

2008-12-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

My first inkling that cemetery flooding was an issue came in
1972, I was visting and then got trapped in western NY during Hurricane Agnes. It hit that area so bad that the Allegheny river flooded and the many inches of rain washed some graves away. I was only 9 yrs old, but already had a fascination with cemeteries and thought this was very interesting to say the least!

At the time of the hurricane, we were staying in a convent, a 19th century mansion that was a former girls school that has since been demolished. It was owned and operated by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, and directly behind this convent was the huge, old, and beautiful St Bonaventure's Cemetery - which was my playground that summer.
http://web.sbu.edu/friedsam/archives/studentpages/cemetery/cemetery_tour.htm

I remember being worried that the graves in St Bonaventure would also be washed away, and had lots of scary dreams about it...but, we and the cemetery were on high ground.

I believe if you do some searching online, there is info about what happened to some cemeteries during Hurricane Agnes.

great blog, I have been reading all morning - I li...

2008-12-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

great blog, I have been reading all morning - I live in NJ as well, in Burlington County, and go to school at GCC. Let me know if you have any cemetery excursions planned, last big one I took was to Harleigh in Camden, and most recently to a small burial ground near Ancora State Hospital - it may have been where some of the patients were buried. Cemeteries have always been a great interest of mine.

Deb,I have a pretty complete listing of media and ...

2008-12-17T05:06:00.000-08:00

Deb,
I have a pretty complete listing of media and private news related to Wreaths Across Ameerica posted at:

http://nygoe.wordpress.com/2008/12/13/aar-wreaths-across-america-farmingdale/

Press the link to "Continue Reading"
where everything is listed in state/city order.

Dan Maloney
NY State Coordinator
Gathering of Eagles

I have no problems w/ dogs in cemeteries as long a...

2008-12-01T13:03:00.000-08:00

I have no problems w/ dogs in cemeteries as long as owners show the same respect as anywhere else. Meaning leashes, clean up etc...
I have visited one national cemetery recently on more than one occasion and a man had his dog tied to a headstone each time. This I did not agree with, for there were water spigots close by that he could of used while he sat and read.