Hello Folks, I have personally seen the Cottrell/Chapman Cemetery you folks are commenting on from the worst case in 1998 with a junkyard scene and bones washing out of the ground to the beautiful restoration job being done today. I hate to say, I went to school with and knew the people who devastated this old cemetery. As Green Twp. Trustee / Assessor, I can tell you that I am very proud of the work being done and it is absolutely a great feeling to walk through there and to look at beautiful new stones as well as repaired older stones shining in the sunlight. My 87 year old father and lifelong resident of this township walked through there the other day. He was amazed at the dedication and time put into this very worthwhile project. My Purdue college son mows and trims 7 other cemeteries in the township for me during his summer break. He and I have been running mowers, weed eaters, trimming tees, spraying and tending the area after the committee of volunteers backfilled, leveled and seeded this spring. And as most of you know it has been exceptionally hot this summer to do any of the aforementioned. Cottrell/Chapman is now a place to admire, even if you have no ancestors buried there. My wife and I walked through it the other evening about dark, and I can say it just gives you a good feeling to see the progress. This county's cemetery group stayed in touch with me during the entire process, and have kept me in touch. I have attended a few of their meetings. There are two descendants living in 2 other states I have been in communication with. One paid for a new historical sign to be put along the road when they get the front fence installed. Other descendants have paid for the radar procedure to define the 91 gravesites. I drove the identifying stakes flush so we could mow, and also drove a 5" long x 1" diameter copper rod in the center of every known grave. Many stones have been reset to date. There are still many bones at the University of Indianapolis we need to get properly buried. I have offered to the committee and descendants, the free services of an undertaker friend and my pastor, both waiting to give the bones proper burial when the committee needs them. As far as restoration efforts, I can't tell you if these volunteers are using the proper epoxy or mortar or superglue, but I can tell you there has been a lot of sweat and backaches put into that cemetery in the last few weeks by folks who want the little cemetery to shine. They are doing just that and I am proud to say my son and I have been a small part of restoring history and will continue to groom the cemetery as long as I am in this office. The cemetery is located about 2 1/2 miles South of the intersection of SR 13 and Interstate 69 on CR 1000S. Go South of the interstate on SR 13 to CR 1000S and turn left (East). Go approximately 3/4 mile and look for the cemetery on your right hand side (South side, just past a big farm pond). Stop by sometime and see for yourself what has been done. Don't criticize these volunteers for dedicating their time, money and talents to enhancing what we refer to as "Beautiful Green" township. Thanks and have a great day, Greg Valentine Green Township Trustee / Assessor Madison County, Indiana -----Original Message----- From: Adhough1@aol.com [mailto:Adhough1@aol.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 9:45 PM To: INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Madison Ctny First of all, I think you are missing the point. Yes, unfortunatly, they have been restoring using concrete. We all know it's not a good thing, but who are we to judge them when they have spent 6 years restoring a huge mess. This is a cemetery that was bulldozed and pushed into a ditch, bodies and all, by some idiot who lived near there.. .. The Madison Co. Cemetery Commission has spent all these years working to restore it, after what was done to it, and they have certainly researched it to full extent. They are very proud of what they have accomplished and I think you should be a little more understanding of the situation before assuming that they are just out there throwing stones here and there. I know we all wish that every person out there is restoring the cemeterys up to this group's standards, but let's face it, there are hundreds of cemeterys needing restoration, and only a few people out there actually doing the hard part. So, the choice is, you either restore with some not so great techniques, or you just ignore it and let the cemetery stay in disarray until it's finally gone all together. and as for lack of reaction from this group, it may be because it was decided awhile ago that this was just a message board, so many people arn't really getting involved in it anymore. Amy Terry Madison County ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== This list is for discussion of topics related to the Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project only. Please do not send genealogical queries through this list. The surname and geographic Mailing Lists on Rootsweb at http://lists.rootsweb.com are a better venue. Thank you. **************************************************************************************** Note: If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer. Thank you. ****************************************************************************************