Thanks for the photos Rich. I feel better now seeing them. I'm sure the stones that are turning black are from some cause other than the burning of the weeds since this causes no damage to the stones. OK...on a more serious note... it would appear to me, based on your pictures, that there is a rather large area of this cemetery where there are no burials, or at least no stones. Why can't that area be left to grow wild and the area where the tombstones are be maintained? Would that not accomplish the same thing without compromising the integrity of the burial area? The author of the wording on that historical marker deserves an award for making cemetery neglect sound like a tribute to our pioneer and indian ancestors. Kyle D. Conrad

Kyle, As usual you have followed my train of thought. However, it really wasn't as much my intention to debate the pros and cons of burning in a cemetery, as it is to understand the ancillary problems that have arisen in this particular prairie preserve. I think the naturalists will maintain the party line that there is no direct damage to the stones, and it may indeed be negligible in some instances. However, the stones in this cemetery are in a sad state of disrepair, with some laying flat on the ground, others partially buried by the remnants of burned vegetation and debris. Common sense suggests that the wear to these particular stones is being accelerated, but again this really wasn't the crux of my argument. It is the fact that those who are in charge of perpetuating the prairie grasses have neglected to manage their garden competently allowing other non-native plants to take large sections of the site. Most of the northern terminus, as well as, around the edges of the cemetery is covered in multiflora rose and the northeast corner is a thicket. Post burning observation of the cemetery reveals this even to the untrained eye. While there are no apparent burials in some areas (lack of monuments), we did find one of the pieces of coffin furniture in the backdirt of an animal burrow where there is no stone. As in most of these 19th century cemeteries, there are ALWAYS many more burials than can be observed on the surface. I suspect that there are perhaps scores of stones that are buried just below the surface that we just can't see, and probably many more graves that just don't have markers. The animal burrows cannot have gone unnoticed. A blind man couldn't walk through this site without finding an animal burrow (and probably a broken ankle). I simply can't understand why the many craters and the backdirt with glacial gravel piles weren't observed as a serious problem by the ecologists? Some of these burrows are undermining stones and are obviously into graves as well. It is apparent to me that those who have been in charge of this prairie grass preserve have no more respect for the folks and families of those who are buried here than they do the prairie grasses that are clearly diminishing in this cemetery. This may seem like a harsh assessment of the person's job performance; nevertheless, it is warranted by the facts. I think it's time to take back this cemetery, repair and restore what is left of it. And, it is clear to me that the brunt of the restoration costs should fall on those responsible. The township trustees office can probably find future funding for ongoing maintenance, but the state bears the responsibility for this and should pick up some of the initial costs to correct this problem. I'm sure that there can be some room left for prairie grasses somewhere on the site, but someone needs to take immediate control of this cemetery's repair and maintenance. It should not be left as is. Regards, Squeaky Wheel Historic Archaeological Research 4338 Hadley Court West Lafayette, IN 47906 Office: (765) 464-8735 Mobile: (765) 427-4082 www.har-indy.com ----- Original Message ----- From: KidClerk@aol.com To: INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Friday, April 07, 2006 6:33 AM Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Granville Cemetery photos Thanks for the photos Rich. I feel better now seeing them. I'm sure the stones that are turning black are from some cause other than the burning of the weeds since this causes no damage to the stones. OK...on a more serious note... it would appear to me, based on your pictures, that there is a rather large area of this cemetery where there are no burials, or at least no stones. Why can't that area be left to grow wild and the area where the tombstones are be maintained? Would that not accomplish the same thing without compromising the integrity of the burial area? The author of the wording on that historical marker deserves an award for making cemetery neglect sound like a tribute to our pioneer and indian ancestors. Kyle D. Conrad ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== THIS IS A CEMETERY ----- "Lives are commemorated - deaths are recorded - families are reunited - memories are made tangible - and love is undisguised. This is a cemetery. "Communities accord respect, families bestow reverence, historians seek information and our heritage is thereby enriched. "Testimonies of devotion, pride and remembrance are carved in stone to pay warm tribute to accomplishments and to the life - not the death - of a loved one. The cemetery is homeland for family memorials that are a sustaining source of comfort to the living. "A cemetery is a history of people - a perpetual record of yesterday and sanctuary of peace and quiet today. A cemetery exists because every life is worth loving and remembering - always." --Author unknown -- Seen at a monument dealer in West Union, IA