I felt like I had to share this article with some of the other lists in case they had some relatives in this cemetery. I certainly hope they find the culprits. Jane Foley Hi folks...... > I was sent this article, and it broke my heart.....I wanted to share with you all in case you have family there....it is in NC, but our lines usually reach there somehow...... > I for one, will be having a serious conversation with my children on the sanctity of a cemetery....... > Paulette. > > Wilmington Star-News > Wilmington North Carolina > October 11, 2004 > > By Cheryl Welch > Staff Writer > cheryl.welch@starnewsonline.com > > Stark white, jagged pieces of granite and marble littered the tree- lined lanes. > Decapitated angel statues rested in azalea bushes. Two dozen Ice House beer cans > lay crumpled on the grass. > > It was this scene that met Oakdale Cemetery Superintendent Eric Kozen as he > arrived Sunday morning at the cemetery's ornate iron gates. > > "It was very, very, very heartbreaking for me today," Mr. Kozen said later in > the afternoon. "This is just devastating ...." > > Described as the worst vandalism in Wilmington's Oakdale Cemetery history, he > estimated 75 to 100 headstones were toppled or smashed sometime in the wee hours > of Sunday morning. The gates were closed and locked at 5 p.m. Saturday, he said, > but the vandals must have scaled the fence. > > The damage was scattered throughout the cemetery, with the heaviest > toll in the oldest section. > > "It's like leaving bread crumbs," Mr. Kozen said, describing the path taken by > the vandals - a group he estimated was five to 10 people strong. "They leave a > trail of damage going through the cemetery." > > The majority of the desecrated graves were those who were buried in the mid- to > late-1800s and are among the earliest residents of the peaceful city of the dead > called Oakdale Cemetery. > > Garden-like lanes lace through the cemetery's 165 acres, home to more than > 26,000 people since its first burial in 1855. Considered a historic landmark by > locals, Oakdale Cemetery has been the final resting place for many of > Wilmington's distinguished citizens including Edward B. Dudley, the first > elected governor of North Carolina, and Henry Bacon Jr., architect of the > Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. > > The graves desecrated include those of: Civil War Col. Champ T.N. Davis who > fought and died in the Battle of Seven Pines, Va. in 1862; MaryAnne Murphy who > lived through epidemics and the turmoil of Civil War occupation to die at the > age of 77 in 1889; and little > > Henrietta "Etta" Murphy who died in 1858 at the age of one year and two months. > > Names, dates and scripture etched on the front of graves tell the story of those > who reside in the cool soil beneath dozens of toppled monuments. Some of the > gravestones hit in the rash of overnight vandalism can't be read due to more > than a century of braving the elements. > > "Oakdale Cemetery is truly an outdoor living museum of Wilmington history," Mr. > Kozen said. "They destroyed a good part of history." Wilmington police are > investigating the incident and ask anyone with information to come forward. > > "It looks like a bunch of kids or somebody went out there and had a party and > got carried away tearing up tombstones," Lt. B.L. Maultsby said. "It seems to > get a little worse this time of year." > > He said the culprits face felony charges. > > Mr. Kozen said security at the cemetery will be increased significantly to > prevent this from happening again. > > Margaret McCall, 89, said she believes whoever is responsible for the damage > should be horsewhipped. > > "I'm horrified," she said while visiting the unharmed graves of family members > dating back four generations. "Lord have mercy. This is a sacred place." > > Her daughter, Marion Danforth, said it was family tradition to spend days at the > cemetery, picnicking beneath the towering oaks and tending the graves of friends > and family. > > "It's painful," she said, her gaze sweeping across the toppled monuments. "It's > such a disrespectful act. It's not something you can quite restore." > > Due to the age of most of the stones affected, Mr. Kozen doubts he'll be able to > locate family members to repair their elders' monuments. > > In May, 18 gravesites in the older section of the cemetery were vandalized in a > similar fashion and he could locate only two of the families. > > "It really falls upon the family," he said. "The stones are not part of our > responsibility but we do take it upon ourselves to do what we need to do." > > Police estimate the damage at $50,000 but Mr. Kozen said it's hard to put a > price on irreplaceable statues and monuments purchased in memory of loved ones. > > He is asking the community to pull together and give the non-profit cemetery a > helping hand to repair what has been destroyed. > > Cheryl Welch: (910) 343-2315 > cheryl.welch@starnewsonline.com > Contributions may be mailed to the Oakdale Cemetery Company at 520 North 15th > Street, Wilmington NC 28401. For further details, please contact cemetery > superintendent Eric Kozen at (910) 762-5682. >

This article makes me weep. People just don't understand the preciousness of family and history. They don't understand the love and reverence that we hold in our hearts for our ancestors and others who leveled the trail for us. I should say, blazed the trail for us! I pray someday they do feel in their hearts what we feel today and are deeply ashamed of their actions. The beloved dead may not have been able to haunt them that night, but I hope their guilt does. Linda Lyon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jane Foley" <mjfent@bellsouth.net> To: <POWELL-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 10:53 AM Subject: [POWELL] Cemetery Vandalism > > I felt like I had to share this article with some of the other lists in > case they had some relatives in this cemetery. I certainly hope they find > the culprits. > > Jane Foley > > > > Hi folks...... >> I was sent this article, and it broke my heart.....I wanted to share with > you all in case you have family there....it is in NC, but our lines > usually > reach there somehow...... >> I for one, will be having a serious conversation with my children on the > sanctity of a cemetery....... >> Paulette. >> >> Wilmington Star-News >> Wilmington North Carolina >> October 11, 2004 >> >> By Cheryl Welch >> Staff Writer >> cheryl.welch@starnewsonline.com >> >> Stark white, jagged pieces of granite and marble littered the tree- lined > lanes. >> Decapitated angel statues rested in azalea bushes. Two dozen Ice House > beer cans >> lay crumpled on the grass. >> >> It was this scene that met Oakdale Cemetery Superintendent Eric Kozen as > he >> arrived Sunday morning at the cemetery's ornate iron gates. >> >> "It was very, very, very heartbreaking for me today," Mr. Kozen said >> later > in >> the afternoon. "This is just devastating ...." >> >> Described as the worst vandalism in Wilmington's Oakdale Cemetery >> history, > he >> estimated 75 to 100 headstones were toppled or smashed sometime in the >> wee > hours >> of Sunday morning. The gates were closed and locked at 5 p.m. Saturday, >> he > said, >> but the vandals must have scaled the fence. >> >> The damage was scattered throughout the cemetery, with the heaviest >> toll in the oldest section. >> >> "It's like leaving bread crumbs," Mr. Kozen said, describing the path > taken by >> the vandals - a group he estimated was five to 10 people strong. "They > leave a >> trail of damage going through the cemetery." >> >> The majority of the desecrated graves were those who were buried in the > mid- to >> late-1800s and are among the earliest residents of the peaceful city of > the dead >> called Oakdale Cemetery. >> >> Garden-like lanes lace through the cemetery's 165 acres, home to more >> than >> 26,000 people since its first burial in 1855. Considered a historic > landmark by >> locals, Oakdale Cemetery has been the final resting place for many of >> Wilmington's distinguished citizens including Edward B. Dudley, the first >> elected governor of North Carolina, and Henry Bacon Jr., architect of the >> Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. >> >> The graves desecrated include those of: Civil War Col. Champ T.N. Davis > who >> fought and died in the Battle of Seven Pines, Va. in 1862; MaryAnne >> Murphy > who >> lived through epidemics and the turmoil of Civil War occupation to die at > the >> age of 77 in 1889; and little >> >> Henrietta "Etta" Murphy who died in 1858 at the age of one year and two > months. >> >> Names, dates and scripture etched on the front of graves tell the story >> of > those >> who reside in the cool soil beneath dozens of toppled monuments. Some of > the >> gravestones hit in the rash of overnight vandalism can't be read due to > more >> than a century of braving the elements. >> >> "Oakdale Cemetery is truly an outdoor living museum of Wilmington > history," Mr. >> Kozen said. "They destroyed a good part of history." Wilmington police >> are >> investigating the incident and ask anyone with information to come > forward. >> >> "It looks like a bunch of kids or somebody went out there and had a party > and >> got carried away tearing up tombstones," Lt. B.L. Maultsby said. "It >> seems > to >> get a little worse this time of year." >> >> He said the culprits face felony charges. >> >> Mr. Kozen said security at the cemetery will be increased significantly >> to >> prevent this from happening again. >> >> Margaret McCall, 89, said she believes whoever is responsible for the > damage >> should be horsewhipped. >> >> "I'm horrified," she said while visiting the unharmed graves of family > members >> dating back four generations. "Lord have mercy. This is a sacred place." >> >> Her daughter, Marion Danforth, said it was family tradition to spend days > at the >> cemetery, picnicking beneath the towering oaks and tending the graves of > friends >> and family. >> >> "It's painful," she said, her gaze sweeping across the toppled monuments. > "It's >> such a disrespectful act. It's not something you can quite restore." >> >> Due to the age of most of the stones affected, Mr. Kozen doubts he'll be > able to >> locate family members to repair their elders' monuments. >> >> In May, 18 gravesites in the older section of the cemetery were >> vandalized > in a >> similar fashion and he could locate only two of the families. >> >> "It really falls upon the family," he said. "The stones are not part of > our >> responsibility but we do take it upon ourselves to do what we need to > do." >> >> Police estimate the damage at $50,000 but Mr. Kozen said it's hard to put > a >> price on irreplaceable statues and monuments purchased in memory of loved > ones. >> >> He is asking the community to pull together and give the non-profit > cemetery a >> helping hand to repair what has been destroyed. >> >> Cheryl Welch: (910) 343-2315 >> cheryl.welch@starnewsonline.com >> Contributions may be mailed to the Oakdale Cemetery Company at 520 North > 15th >> Street, Wilmington NC 28401. For further details, please contact >> cemetery >> superintendent Eric Kozen at (910) 762-5682. >> > > > ==== POWELL Mailing List ==== > NOTICE: Posting of virus warnings, test messages, chain letters, > political > announcements, current events, items for sale, personal messages, flames, > etc. (in other words - spam) is NOT ALLOWED and will be grounds for > removal. > Consideration for exceptions, contact Kathleen Burnett > kathleenburnett@earthlink.net > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 >