DONNA: WHAT IS THE DATE OF THIS WORKSHOP? JOAN WRAY TIPTON COUNTY ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna Tauber" <dtauber@kiva.net> To: <INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2002 10:36 PM Subject: [INPCRP] Cemetery Workshop > Have received several questions about the upcoming workshop, it's > wonderful to know that is such a huge interest! I am really hoping for > a big turnout, (and nice weather) that day. This is the news release > I have prepared to go out, please feel free to send the parts that apply > and are of interest on to your local newspaper or others that might be > interested. > PS I am still very much interested in forming a Cemetery Commission > Association, maybe this day will provide a chance for some of us to > meet? > Donna > > New Henry County Cemetery Commission News Release > > > It has been only a few months since a group of individuals started > working to organize a county cemetery commission and already the first > board has been named. County Ordinance # 3-9-01 establishing the > Henry County Cemetery Commission as authorized by Indiana Code > #23-14-67, the Board of Commissioners of Henry County, Indiana, Philip J > Estridge, Larry D. Hale and Donald Shaw was approved and adopted by a > vote of 3 - 0 on the 19th day of September, 2001. That group will > provide assistance to local officials in repairing and maintaining the > county's numerous pioneer cemeteries. The new cemetery commission will > consist of Donna Tauber, President; Doug Mathis, Vice President; Dr. > Thomas Hamm, Secretary; Anne Holmes, Treasurer; and Mike Burch. All of > the individuals had expressed interest in serving on the commission > early on, officials said. The members will serve on the board > voluntarily. Members will have staggered five-year terms on the board. > The board members must be Henry County residents and will be appointed > as required by the commissioners. The first meeting was held on December > 13, 2001 at the Henry County Historical Society Museum. Plans are now to > hold the meetings on the last Thursday of each month, alternating > evening and afternoon meeting times in the courthouse annex. Cemetery > Board Members have also approved the need to form an Advisory Board > Committee made up of local residents, to help with research and to > assist the Board. > > The formation of the cemetery commission came at the urging of some > local residents, including history enthusiasts Bud Bush and Angela > Tielking. They approached the commissioners in August and asked them to > consider a group that could assist local authorities in restoring, > cleaning and maintaining some of the county's oldest cemeteries. Many of > the pioneer cemeteries established prior to 1850 are in desperate need > of major restoration; Bush and Tielking told the commissioners. By > having such a commission, they could pursue grant funding, volunteer > workdays and other ideas to help restore some of the county's historical > burial sites. > > The cemetery commission has been developed similar to those of other > counties in Indiana. With the establishment of the commission and naming > of members, the board can now begin their work. Many of these pioneer > cemeteries are overgrown, are in disrepair or have all but been > forgotten, tucked away in the middle of fields or woods. > > The cemetery commission now is making plans to start an asserted effort > to improve several of these cemeteries. The regular maintenance of the > cemeteries will remain with the trustees, however the group will offer > assistance in garnering funds to use for more extensive projects such as > gravestone repairs and major clean up work. > > Still in its infancy, the group is forging ahead with project proposals. > The group will begin by targeting three specific cemeteries this year. > On the list is Messick Cemetery in Blue River Township, Dunreith > Cemetery just south of U.S. 40 and Wisehart Cemetery in Liberty > Township. > > Sheriff Kim Cronk said inmates could be used for a variety of the > clean-up operations, with the exception of those requiring chainsaw > usage to cut trees. Commission officials said such a proposal would be > beneficial to the group, which has limited funds. Those residents > interested in lending a hand or getting involved in the group are > welcome to attend the commission meetings held the last Thursday of each > month. The times of the meetings will alternate from afternoon to > evening hours. > > A Cemetery Preservation Workshop, funded by the town of Dunrieth, has > been scheduled for Saturday May 11th beginning at 9 am. until about 4 > p.m. Cemetery Restorationist John Walters of Fayette County will > conduct the workshop. Walters was hired as the state's only cemetery > restoration specialist in August 1996 and his work has yielded > impressive results. Walters will be demonstrating restoration techniques > with a hands-on workshop located in the Dunreith Cemetery and the > Dunreith Community Building. Volunteers urged to attend the workshop, > then assist in an all day effort to restore stones in this cemetery. > The Dunrieth Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting a free will > offering lunch, which will be hamburgers and hot dogs, with proceeds of > lunch going toward their fundraising efforts to obtain a new fire truck > for the Town of Dunrieth. > > The Dunreith Cemetery is located adjacent to the Penn-Central Railroad > tracks and US 40 (Old National Road) on the southwest edge of the town > of Dunreith on section 32 of Spiceland Township, Henry County. The town > was originally known as Crum's Spring, then as Coffin' Station. The name > was changed to Dunreith in 1866 in honor of Emory Dunreith Coffin > (1824-1863), a pioneer merchant of the community. The Cemetery is > immediately north of a grove of trees where the old Buck Creek Christian > Church once stood. The church was founded in 1838 and occupied the site > until the present church (renamed Dunreith Church) was erected in 1909. > Many of the individuals buried in the Dunreith Cemetery were members of > the old Buck Creek Church. The Friends also had a meetinghouse in > Dunreith from 1867 until 1932 and no doubt several members of the old > meeting are buried in the Cemetery. Since Dunreith is located along the > National Road, a number of burials are of non-local origin. The first > burial took place in 1834 and the last marked burial in 1939 and the > last unmarked burial in about 1962. The church that is located there > now is the Liberty Baptist Church. > > The cemetery is now in fairly good condition as it is maintained by the > town, but in need of some restoration due to the deterioration of the > stones. Several stones were extensively damaged January 1, 1968, at the > time of the costly train wreck, explosion and fire in Dunreith. > > A total of 172 burials were recorded in the Dunreith Cemetery, 80 of > which died before reached the age of 28. Joseph W. Abrams, Pendleton > Bullen, J.A. Crickmore, Thomas J. Johnson, Dallas Lawson, and C.H.G. > Moore, all veterans of the Civil War, are also buried in the Cemetery. > > Donations for this cemetery, as well as others in Henry County may be > made to the Henry County Auditor, Pioneer Cemetery Fund. Please specify > if you wish the money to go toward a certain cemetery. At this time, > all preservation projects rely on donations, and are also tax > deductible. Ulysses (Bud) Bush and Donna Tauber recently succeeded in > gaining national recognition for the new commission, when they where > featured in a news article for the need for these cemetery restorations > in The New York Times on December 24th of last year. > > > > ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > "Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have." > Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790) > >