Cemetery Cache

[+Steve838]

Two of my most memorable, enjoyable and educational caches were in the same cemetery. One was a Virtual Cache, that brought you to the graves of several local notables, a movie star, a man killed by an elephant (in NC) and several other interesting graves. It is a shame that Virtual Caches are no longer permitted. They are perfect for cemeteries, since nothing is hidden there and nothing has to be disturbed.

 

The other cache required you to find clues inside the cemetery, but the cache itself was outside the cemetery.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Steve838

[Ieqo]

My sole contribution to the whole thread, regardless of your position on the issue of "should we have cemetary caches" is this: do like drinkers do on New Years Eve: stay home and leave the Halloween season to the folks who really ARE up to No Good in the cemetaries. That makes it less hassle for us, and easier for the LEOs to focus on the people who need hassling.

[+Proud Soccer Mom]

The cache has been archived, just for the sake of PR.

 

From the looks of things, Mt Hope Cemetery is not government owned and is not public property. It appears to be managed by the Mt Hope Cemetery Association and the point of contact is Pat Nelson at 715-682-6169.

 

When it's owned by the government, it's "owned by all of us" and we can all visit if we abide by the rules. The biggest and most important rule is: Only Open During The Day. Nightcachers can cause some bad PR for geocaching by insisting on doing cemetery caches after closing. Sometimes the Historical Society manages cemeteries, other times it's Parks & Recreation. In my county, the Public Works department does it. Bigger counties may have a special department just for their cemeteries.

 

When it's owned by a private organisation or individual, it's owned by that organisation or person. People can visit for any non-disruptive reason (eg. jogging, evp recording, photography, geocaching, research, etc) but can also be asked to leave, regardless of whether they are abiding by or violating the rules. It is private property.

 

Hiders should seek permission from governing authorities before publishing a cache. This information should be easily given to reviewers. In my experience, it's easier to receive permission from a government office than it is a private organisation.

 

If you owe a monument (tombstone/gravemarker), you do not need special permission from anyone to hide a cache inside the boundaries of your plat. Outside your plat, you will require permission.

 

Never hide a cache in a way that will disturb graves. Never choose a cemetery haphazardly (ie. just because it's a cemetery). Obviously, Mt Hope's Potters Field has historical significance. Since the ground is not settled and a cache hide is inappropriate, just as it would be inappropriate to hide a cache on this property full of unmarked graves of unknown people, I'd strongly recommend making a waymark for it and telling the history that way.

 

As someone whose hobbies involve spending some free time in cemeteries, I find nothing creepy or spooky or forbidden about them. There's no sacrilige in putting a cache there for as long as the graves and monuments themselves are not disturbed. You want people to gain respect and knowledge when they visit this place, not be forced to act disrespectfully just to sign a piece of paper. And, honestly, I think the whole "Ooo Halloween, it's scary here" Scooby-Doo attitude doesn't help things. Once one has figured out how to do the hide in a way that teaches instead of thrills, it's just a question of whether the manager would want it there at all.

 

My favourite Waymarking experience so far is based on a cemetery when I had to teach the cemetery caretaker what a zinc headstone was and how to identify one. After I'd found one and waymarked it, he went out and found three more in his cemetery. When I go back to that town next week, I have more waymarks waiting for me for post!

 

My 2 cents.

 

- Elle