Doug the letter was great, The same is happening in ever county. I wish you would send this to Senator Davis Williams and Senator Borders they are on the Judiciary Committee .Maybe they can help. Mary -----Original Message----- From: Doug Park - The Mystical Gravehunter <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Sunday, March 10, 2002 2:31 PM Subject: [KY-CEM] KENTUCKY Bill 572 - Kentucky Historic Cemetery Preservation Program >All, copy of a letter I sent to several KY Senators today regarding KY Bill >572. Hope many of you share the same feelings on this issue as I: > > >Dear Kentucky Senator, > >Beginning in the late 1700s, six (6) generations of my Kentucky Pioneer, >Park Family were buried in Kentucky soil in Nelson, Estill (Irvine and >Wagersville), Madison, Lincoln, Clark, and Boyle Counties. In my frequent >exploration of their final resting places, I have been witness to and cried >over the desecration and neglect of their stones and surrounding grounds. >Some of these rural Park Family cemeteries have been vandalized and leveled >by unfeeling construction companies. Although, I am proud to have written >and published a book in memory of my KY ancestors in Madison and Estill >Counties, in particular, the travesty of their final resting places >continues to haunt me and many other descendants who are Kentucky Citizens >with roots in the commonwealth, by virtue of their courageous pioneer >ancestors. If it were not for these brave pioneers, we would not be, and >neither would Kentucky. > >One tragic example of this neglect is the Park-Miller Cemetery on the >grounds of the Eastern Kentucky University Farm in Richmond, near the >silos, where cattle have been allowed to trample the graves of many of my >ancestors there, including Rev. John Mills Park (1806-1877) and wife, >Martha Oldham (1812-1851). EKU Farm workers are aware of the fence that is >down around it, yet for whatever reasons, the University has not taken >action to resurrect it in order to keep the cattle out or to restore the >damage to the tombstones already done there. To this day, my ancestors' >tombstones on the EKU Farm are still being crushed and defecated on by >unknowing cattle--despite letters to EKU by members of the Park Family of KY. > >This and other cemetery neglect throughout Eastern Kentucky, is a disgrace >to my family, our state, and to the pioneer history that enriches us all. >The lives of our Kentucky ancestors are the very fabric of our ideals and >values we continue to today, for all of us who live in and adore the Great >Commonwealth that is Kentucky! And this is how we choose to remember our >Kentucky Pioneer-Ancestors?! I say NOT! Surely, it is not the legacy they >imagined for themselves and their families prior to their passing. It is >disrespectful, irresponsible, and heartless to fail in preserving their >memory with both dignity and admiration. > >As a Kentucky Colonel, I respectfully ask you to PLEASE push KENTUCKY Bill >572 -- Kentucky Historic Cemetery Preservation Program in the KY Senate! I >am told that although it passed in the House of Reps, it has yet to receive >any attention in the Senate. Won't you please help! My father was born in >Richmond, KY, graduated from EKU. I have many cousins who still live in the >Bluegrass state; the majority in Madison and Estill Counties. In fact, some >who are members of the Estill Co. Historical Society, are trying to do what >they can to preserve and restore these family cemeteries. But, it's not >enough! We need this bill. My conscience says that anything less sends the >wrong message to our people and sets a poor precedent for other forms of >neglect in the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky. > > >Thank you for your attention and support. I hope to hear from you sometime >soon. > >Respectfully, > >William "Doug" Park >Kentucky Colonel > > > > > >==== KY-CEMETERIES Mailing List ==== >If you wish to subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Kentucky Cemetery list, use >[email protected] or [email protected] if >you are on the Digest list. >To learn more about my world visit http://dwp.bigplanet.com/kburnett > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >