Dear Friends: Many of Indiana's historic pioneer cemeteries stand "in the way of progress" as demand rises for land suitable for development. Down here in Clark and Floyd Counties (near Louisville, KY), we have one cemetery that was moved in February 2001 to make way for a department store, two more that have Circuit Court "Orders to Disinter" in place (one since February 2001 and the other since May 2001) for subdivision development, one that has been spared being dismantled thanks to the active involvement of the Township Trustee in putting a stop to that effort, and two more that are in serious jeopardy and which will likely be moved in the next several months. These six situations have come to light just since the first of 2001! Obviously, this is a burgeoning trend, though we do not have verifiable numbers for "portable cemeteries" elsewhere in the State. It is surprisingly EASY to get a court order to disinter a pioneer cemetery in Indiana. The most recent Clark Co. Order to Disinter was granted (1) to a funeral director who is NOT the owner of the cemetery OR the surrounding property; (2) on behalf of a subdivision developer who is NOT the owner of the cemetery itself, it being a specific EXCEPTION on his Deed; (3) without notice to the public; (4) with full knowledge of the Township Trustee; and (5) only six days after the Petition to Disinter was filed. [The entire court file consists of FIVE SHEETS OF PAPER!] There are many shortcomings to the current statutes, which are addressed in a Petition being sponsored by the Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project (INPCRP). The INPCRP asks you to help us call on the Indiana Legislature to overhaul the statutes which currently permit the quick and easy dismantling and relocation of our pioneer family cemeteries. The Petition document and a cover letter are on-line in a single PDF document at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp/Petition-Disinterment.PDF You will need the FREE Adobe Acrobat READER on your system to open the PDF link listed above. If you don't already have the Acrobat READER on your computer, you can download it from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html I've also linked to the Petition documents in PDF format from a new INPCRP page on the subject of DISINTERMENT, which is linked to the main INPCRP page: http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp/disinterment.html We have included two different Petition forms: One is a "long form" that includes a good deal more text and room for only 5 signatures. The other is a "short form" with less text and room for ten signatures. I suggest you print out both and, if potential signers want to know more about the situation, give them the "long form", maybe with the included page of pertinent statute language. If you or someone you know (young OR old) has a strong opinion on this subject, ask him or her to write a short personal letter to Rep. Markt Lytle and, if you send it in with your signed Petitions, we will include those letters in the package we will be hand-delivering to Rep. Lytle on 10/6/2001. I'm sure he will pay particular attention to letters from children and young people as a further demonstration of the wide range of interest in protecting our pioneer cemeteries. We are really excited about the possibility of collecting a TON of signatures on this project. But we need your help to accomplish this goal. If anyone should ask, the names and addresses collected in this Petition drive will not be released or provided to anyone other than Rep. Markt Lytle, though I will be tabulating the number of Petition signatures received from the various Indiana counties and from outside the State and making that NUMERICAL information available on the INPCRP website. Thank you for all your interest in and support of this endeavor. Lois Mauk State Coordinator Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp