In a message dated 4/5/06 8:58:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time, rgreen@insightbb.com writes: > From:rgreen@insightbb.com > Reply-to:INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com > To:INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com > Sent from the Internet > > > > Hello the list: > > I thought I'd seen some pretty bad cemeteries, but the Granville Cemetery, > Wayne Township, Tippecanoe County has definitely made the hit parade! This > has to be one of the most appalling I've seen particularly since its > destruction has essentially been on purpose. > > This is one of those lasting experiments from the 1960's intended to save > native prairie grasses by permitting and enabling them to flourish in > abandoned 19th century pioneer cemeteries. Part of the process involves > occasional burning, and the grasses were burned this Spring. I recall this > topic having been debated on the list, perhaps several years ago, and the > main focus then was on the potential destructive effects of multiple > episodes of extreme heating of monuments. This aside, what I witnessed > today was a far worse secondary impact of this particular prairie grass > preserve. > It is my understanding that Wayne township does not have responsibility > for > this cemetery, but rather it has apparently been managed by Indiana > Department of Natural Resources since sometime before 1969. The native > prairie grasses now contain large quantities of non-native vegetation, in > particular thickets of multiflora rose that remain today after the March > burning. In my opinion, this "nature preserve" has been mismanaged at the > expense of perhaps as many as 200 hundred or more graves of Tippecanoe > County pioneers. > > > > "Granville Cemetery was once part of the great Wea Plains and still contains > > many species of the original prairie vegetation. This is one of the last > remnants of the Indiana prairies that covered much of Tippecanoe County. It > > is preserved and managed as a memorial to the Indians and early settlers to > whom these grasses were once familiar." > > Having said all of this, it is my sincere hope that this nature preserve > experiment gone awry will be abandoned and that funds will be made available > > by the state of Indiana to assist in the restoration and ongoing maintenance > > of this early cemetery. > > I will be adding some of the many photos I took today to my website, and > will post the address here when it is available. > > Best Regards, > > Rich Green > Rich, If you remember St Johns Cemetery in Morgan Twp. in Harrison Co, it was burned regularly. It DID DAMAGE THE STONES. It was burned by the Nature Preserve. I was told by several on the List that I could not change their practice of Burning Well, I persevered and they finally relented and I met with 2 representatives of the Nature preserve (The sign said; A Division of the DNR.) I met with them and the Twp. Trustee. We finally agreed to Remove a Large wooden State Park type 3 x 8 ft. sign and put up a small 12 inch X 20 inch sign like a Picture I had with me from up North somewhere. The Burning was stopped and the Trustee mows the cemetery November 1 each year. I know that is not what I would like to have accomplished, but it was a Hell of a lot better treatment than the cemetery had before I complained. This had been going on since 1980 when the earlier lazy Trustee would not mow it, so the Nature Preserve came in and took over and said it was part of the earlier Prairie like my Grandfather saw when he lived there. No he didn't, he tried to kill every weed he could so his crops would grow. It seems like the DNR is more concerned with the weeds than the cemeteries.You have to keep after them, or they figure you will give up and they can keep up the same old stuff. Good Luck to all on the Granville Cemetery, IM with you for what ever that is worth. Jack E. Briles Sr. jackbriles@aol.com New Albany, In.