Old cemetery adjoins Virginia housing development

An old family cemetery in Virginia coexists beside a modern housing development.

Needless worries in Colorado Springs

A city councilman wondered why dirt was being placed in a city cemetery, and worried that the dirt was a precursor to graves being placed on top of old ones. No worries, says the city manager' they are just replacing soil that has eroded.

Why cemetery scandals happen

In the wake of the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal about bodies dug up and graves resold, one columnist weighs in on how something like this could happen. In short, society is more mobile and people are less physically tied to an area where loved ones are buried and people are less comfortable with death.
It shouldn't take a Burr Oak to make people sit up and take notice of the deplorable state of some of our cemeteries. Not every cemetery is a Burr Oak waiting to happen; nor is every cemetery a parcel in ruin, but until they become a prime element in comprehensive land use policy, the danger of tragedy exists.

Volunteers work to spruce up Arlington National Cemetery

Hundreds of volunteers, many from professional landscaping companies, turn out to work on fixing up Arlington National Cemetery.

Burr Oak, Illinois

Much of this involves criminality that doesn't really apply to the scope of this blog, but the scandal is so eye-opening, I'm posting a couple of links here. I'll add more, as the story unfolds, especially since I'm reading about flooding/drainage/etc - which *are* land-use concerns, but for now, here are some links to the basics:
Chicago Sun-Times
New York Times
Chicago Tribune

Indian mounds in Alabama to be replaced by Sam's Club

I'll find more on this later, but here's news from the Native American site Reznet about the destruction of an Indian burial mound in favor of a Sam's Club in Alabama.

Forest Lawn: Where Michael Jackson won't be buried

MJ's final resting place is elsewhere, but here's an interesting feature about the noted Los Angeles cemetery Forest Lawn, where his funeral procession began today.

Pocket cemetery app from Apple

Apple has approved and is now celling a pocket cemetery app that you can put on your iPhone. People can now create virtual memorials for the dead, complete with customized tombstones.

Funds raised to restore Jamaica, N.Y., cemetery

Efforts will soon be under way to restore the Prospect Cemetery, a Colonial-era cemetery in Jamaica, New York (on Long Island) after a fundraising effort generated $1.2 million. Earliest graves date to 1668.

Texas cemetery restoration

A cemetery in San Marcos, Texas, that has been damaged by fallen wood, overgrowth and (yes) cattle is being restored by a local historical commission.

Lightning damages building in New Hampshire cemetery

A building on the ground of the South Road Cemetery in Belmont, New Hampshire, was damaged by a lightning strike.

Aspen, Colorado, cemetery in disrepair

The local government is working to take over and fix up a historic cemetery in Aspen, Colorado, which dates back more than 100 years. Some of the city's early founders are buried here.

Update on discovered Miami burial site

The Miami Herald reports that the mystery surrounding a newly discovered burial ground grows deeper. Records show that more than 200 people may have been buried in the area - many of them Bahamian - but so far the remains of only about 20 people have been found. The remains were found during preliminary construction work on new affordable housing.

Grand jury investigates cemetery operations

Here's an unusual take: a county grand jury in San Luis Obispo County, California, has investigated the care of local cemeteries.
Here is the grand jury's report:

Ohio cemetery on the rebound

A year after residents complained about the conditions of Spring Grove Cemetery in East Liverpool, Ohio, this report shows that local volunteers have helped turn things around.

Cemetery in disrepair (in spots) in North Carolina

Some of the grounds look OK at a Statesville cemetery, according to this article, but there are broken and missing headstones and other problems, including larger one of who should be taking care of the cemetery.