Abandoned Cemeteries

[+MountainWoods]

I'm not an officer in the Gravediggers group, but my opinion is that the category should be for what the founders wanted it to be: abandoned cemeteries.

 

My (nonhumble) suggestion is that waymarks for cemeteries that are not abandoned, but which simply have very old grave markers, be "grandfathered" in; but that in the future the cemetery really has to be abandoned.

 

As someone who has submitted a bunch of waymarks to that category, and only waymarks that actually meet the requirements, it feels that the category has been cheapened to include cemeteries that are not abandoned. Every waymarker can play the game and follow the requirements. Otherwise what good is it?

 

Anyway, that's my $2!

[+MountainWoods]

BTW, if someone doesn't like the fact that the category reviewers actually stick to the requirements (?!?), then that person can always go try to start a new category for the kinds of waymarks that they have in mind. No need to corrupt an existing category.

[+lumbricus]

I'm not an officer in the Gravediggers group,...

Really?

I agree, we should only accept real abandoned cemeteries.

-lumbricus

[+fi67]

I think, most of us agree with this. A cemetery with old graves in not abandoned as such. What we are missing is a clear definition of borderline cases. It is not " very abandoned" vs. "very active", we all can easily identify that. The interesting definition is "almost not abandoned" vs. "almost abandoned", because here different people can draw the lines differently.

 

Is a cemetery abandoned when...

- there have not been any new burials since decades, but there is still some basic maintenance of the existing structures?

- nobody cares for it any more as a whole, but there are some single graves that still receive some maintenance by individuals?

- it has been turned into a municipal park and all the headstones are removed?

- the southern part is completely abandoned and overgrown, but there have been some recent burials in the northern section?

 

to name just a few potentially unclear cases.

[+MountainWoods]

I'm not an officer in the Gravediggers group,...

Really?

I agree, we should only accept real abandoned cemeteries.

-lumbricus

When I posted that I wasn't. Never did get the email that I was promoted, though I usually do.

[+MountainWoods]

I think, most of us agree with this. A cemetery with old graves in not abandoned as such. What we are missing is a clear definition of borderline cases. It is not " very abandoned" vs. "very active", we all can easily identify that. The interesting definition is "almost not abandoned" vs. "almost abandoned", because here different people can draw the lines differently.

 

Is a cemetery abandoned when...

- there have not been any new burials since decades, but there is still some basic maintenance of the existing structures?

- nobody cares for it any more as a whole, but there are some single graves that still receive some maintenance by individuals?

- it has been turned into a municipal park and all the headstones are removed?

- the southern part is completely abandoned and overgrown, but there have been some recent burials in the northern section?

 

to name just a few potentially unclear cases.

I see what you mean. I hadn't thought of it at this level. Every one of the cemeteries that I've waymarked in the category were truly non-maintained, rather than just not accepting new burials. I've waymarked cemeteries (in Worldwide Cemeteries) that are maintained but have not had burials since the 19th century, but I'd never call them abandoned. Anyway that's my thinking on that part of it.

 

I've never seen a partially abandoned cemetery, either with just one grave or a section of the cemetery maintained but not the others. Guess I'd have to think about that and see what the group decides.

 

Now that the Worldwide Cemeteries category has been improved (thanks BruceS!), the Gravediggers group could be more selective ("picky") about what is allowed in Abandoned Cemeteries since, clearly AC is a proper subset of WWC, and the latter now allows the poster to select the status.

 

(If the status had been there in the first place, the Abandoned Cemeteries category might never have been

created, but I'm glad it was anyway!)

 

I'm sure that we all need to stop allowing in maintained cemeteries just because they have some broken headstones (like most cemeteries!) and/or no "new" burials. Maintained (completely) = not abandoned.

 

Have to think about the "partially maintained / partially abandoned" thing more -- do you have examples?

 

BTW, I do know of a cemetery that is Active and NOT maintained. Last burial was in 2008 and it is a family plot fenced off in a field. But they don't do anything to maintain the field or the cemetery! But that's an aside.

Edited December 10, 2015 by MountainWoods

[+BruceS]

 

I've never seen a partially abandoned cemetery, either with just one grave or a section of the cemetery maintained but not the others. Guess I'd have to think about that and see what the group decides.

 

 

The only partially abandoned cemetery that I remember coming across is the Greenwood Cemetery in suburban St. Louis. One of twelve African-American cemeteries in the St. Louis metro area. For many years it would have been considered abandoned but now I would say it is partially restored though only a small portion of its 30 plus acres is maintained.

[+fi67]

Is a cemetery abandoned when...

- there have not been any new burials since decades, but there is still some basic maintenance of the existing structures?

- nobody cares for it any more as a whole, but there are some single graves that still receive some maintenance by individuals?

- it has been turned into a municipal park and all the headstones are removed?

- the southern part is completely abandoned and overgrown, but there have been some recent burials in the northern section?

 

I see what you mean. I hadn't thought of it at this level. Every one of the cemeteries that I've waymarked in the category were truly non-maintained, rather than just not accepting new burials. I've waymarked cemeteries (in Worldwide Cemeteries) that are maintained but have not had burials since the 19th century, but I'd never call them abandoned. Anyway that's my thinking on that part of it.

 

I've never seen a partially abandoned cemetery, either with just one grave or a section of the cemetery maintained but not the others. Guess I'd have to think about that and see what the group decides.

 

Now that the Worldwide Cemeteries category has been improved (thanks BruceS!), the Gravediggers group could be more selective ("picky") about what is allowed in Abandoned Cemeteries since, clearly AC is a proper subset of WWC, and the latter now allows the poster to select the status.

 

(If the status had been there in the first place, the Abandoned Cemeteries category might never have been

created, but I'm glad it was anyway!)

 

I'm sure that we all need to stop allowing in maintained cemeteries just because they have some broken headstones (like most cemeteries!) and/or no "new" burials. Maintained (completely) = not abandoned.

 

Have to think about the "partially maintained / partially abandoned" thing more -- do you have examples?

 

BTW, I do know of a cemetery that is Active and NOT maintained. Last burial was in 2008 and it is a family plot fenced off in a field. But they don't do anything to maintain the field or the cemetery! But that's an aside.

These were more hypothetical questions, a way to think about the acceptable limits and where to draw the line. It is better to know it in advance.

 

My personal opinion:

1) Maintained is not abandoned. The main function of a cemetery is not having new burials, but to be a place to rest and remember, no matter how long ago the last burial was.

3) a removed/former/converted cemetery is no cemetery at all, not even an abandoned one. BTW: about six out of ten municipal parks in my hoe town are former cemeteries.

 

I am not sure about the partial question myself. I know that this might be a very rare case, I have once seen one while traveling, but I am not sure about the details anymore. I once saw a cemetery in a small town in Central America that had a dedicated section for a special minority group, I don't remember if ethnic or religious. But there was no one left in town of that group, so the active cemetery had a distinct, clearly abandoned section.

[+MountainWoods]

Yes. Good thinking. Hypotheticals have a bad habit of sometimes becoming real questions. Better to think about them ahead of time.

 

We haven't heard back from other officers in Gravediggers, but my suggestions would be:

• No more accepting maintained cemeteries with "old" graves.
  
• Rather than doing a grand clean out, I guess we could grandfather in any waymarks that somehow got through.
  
• Any partially maintained cemeteries are a judgment call. For me, if most of the cemetery is maintained (that is 50% or more) then it's not worth calling it an abandoned cemetery. If it is mostly left to the elements but, say, some family comes along and cleans around their family graves, then I guess the cemetery itself could be considered abandoned.
  

 

Anyway, that's my thinking until I hear reasonable arguments in a different direction -- on points 2 and 3. The first point, to me, is not negotiable.

Edited December 11, 2015 by MountainWoods

[+DougK]

Yes. Good thinking. Hypotheticals have a bad habit of sometimes becoming real questions. Better to think about them ahead of time.

 

We haven't heard back from other officers in Gravediggers, but my suggestions would be:

• -
  
• Rather than doing a grand clean out, I guess we could grandfather in any waymarks that somehow got through.
  
• -
  

 

Anyway, that's my thinking until I hear reasonable arguments in a different direction -- on points 2 and 3. The first point, to me, is not negotiable.

Here some thoughts on point number 2.

 

It can set a confusing trend for future category submissions, when a newbie WMer (I know, flocks of them, right ) peruses a category looking for examples of similar postings to seek or model after. Someone might think the category has already “expanded”.

 

Another question, I’d ask the officers, “Has this been going on since the category beginning or more just recently?” It might help to decide that pruning recent submission is not unreasonable.

 

I would look at how many "got through” and judge whether it’s significant chunk among all category submissions. It it guts the category to re-evaluate them, maybe you have to live with it.

 

If it’s just a few, I believe it’s OK to re-evaluate and decline them, explaining that there was some confusion among officer’s understanding of what qualified.

OR, you can call the most questionable submissions to a new group vote and let the officers make a group decision to see if they are in agreement.

 

The submitter may have known they were testing a boundary or tolerance within the category definition and hoping to get a favorable officer.

 

FWIW

[+T0SHEA]

I can feel my ears burning!!! On perusing the most recent page of the category in question one will notice that a great many of the submissions were ours, so I felt it proper that I weigh in here.

 

Almost all of our most recent ones are of the "questionable" variety. Why? Well... it all began with a cemetery we felt was on the borderline, not having received burials for decades, possibly even a century, but showing some signs of having been minimally maintained at some time in the recent past. It was accepted, so we tried another borderline one, then another, less borderline, more "over the line", etc., etc.

 

They were all accepted so we simply began to feel that they were quite acceptable to the officers of the group.

 

However, I do agree with the general consensus here in that:

 

A: Many of ours should not have been accepted in the first place, as they did fall outside of the "letter of the law" for the category.

B: The "status" variable recently added to the Worldwide Cemeteries category would have obviated the need for this category.

 

We tested the boundaries and came out (relatively) unscathed.

What can you do?

 

Luckily, though, we have managed to uncover quite a few truly abandoned old cemeteries, many of which even the locals had no idea existed.

Our mission: to travel the world and edify the locals on their history.

 

So, does this mean that in the future we need to post our "Abandoned" Cemeteries on days in which MountainWoods is known not to be at home? BTW - what's his phone number?

 

This forum is still on daylight savings time...

Edited December 12, 2015 by BK-Hunters

[+fi67]

BTW, cemetery or grave maintenance is not a global concept as we might think. When I came across this one by chance Cimetière de Juifs - Hégenheim, Alsace, France, I first thought it was abandoned, but some research brought to light, that is still active; just grave maintenance is not usual here.

[+MountainWoods]

I can feel my ears burning!!! On perusing the most recent page of the category in question one will notice that a great many of the submissions were ours, so I felt it proper that I weigh in here.

 

Almost all of our most recent ones are of the "questionable" variety. Why? Well... it all began with a cemetery we felt was on the borderline, not having received burials for decades, possibly even a century, but showing some signs of having been minimally maintained at some time in the recent past. It was accepted, so we tried another borderline one, then another, less borderline, more "over the line", etc., etc.

 

They were all accepted so we simply began to feel that they were quite acceptable to the officers of the group.

 

However, I do agree with the general consensus here in that:

 

A: Many of ours should not have been accepted in the first place, as they did fall outside of the "letter of the law" for the category.

B: The "status" variable recently added to the Worldwide Cemeteries category would have obviated the need for this category.

 

We tested the boundaries and came out (relatively) unscathed.

What can you do?

 

Luckily, though, we have managed to uncover quite a few truly abandoned old cemeteries, many of which even the locals had no idea existed.

Our mission: to travel the world and edify the locals on their history.

 

So, does this mean that in the future we need to post our "Abandoned" Cemeteries on days in which MountainWoods is known not to be at home? BTW - what's his phone number?

 

This forum is still on daylight savings time...

I appreciate the honesty, and I agree with DougK's comments. I'm just one of those folks who doesn't like to be the Snidely Whiplash that's going to decline the bad ones.

 

So how about this: If you know of any of your Abandoned Cemetery waymarks that don't really represent abandoned cemeteries, how 'bout if you go ahead and delete it yourself. Before we start a grand clearout.

 

Doesn't really matter about whether I'm home or not. The other officers have agreed to not allow maintained cemeteries as Abandoned Cemeteries. (Besides, I now get emails on my smartphone, and I often review waymarks on that!)

 

BTW, off topic: But for those of you in North America that join the Facebook group "Waymarking North America" you get to meet some of your waymarkers in person. If you don't mind that. (I like it!)

 

Edit: Besides, you already know me on FindAGrave, BK-Hunters. So there!

Edited December 15, 2015 by MountainWoods

[+T0SHEA]

Doesn't really matter about whether I'm home or not. The other officers have agreed to not allow maintained cemeteries as Abandoned Cemeteries. (Besides, I now get emails on my smartphone, and I often review waymarks on that!)

Ah crap!!

 

BTW, off topic: But for those of you in North America that join the Facebook group "Waymarking North America" you get to meet some of your waymarkers in person. If you don't mind that. (I like it!)

 

Edit: Besides, you already know me on FindAGrave, BK-Hunters. So there!

 

That's Barb who does the FindAGrave thing - I'm just the one who takes most of the FindAGrave pix, it seems.

 

As for the cleanup of our "bad ones", I fully expected that suggestion to be proposed - guess I'll have to go do that (he said, tearfully...)

[+MountainWoods]

Well, just remember that Waymarking isn't about the numbers, but the experience of just getting there and seeing something worth seeing. The fact that they are Worldwide Cemeteries is fascinating enough -- for those of us that are fascinated with cemeteries! (And I suspect there are a lot of us. Otherwise there would not be several categories for them...)

 

And, you wouldn't want someone to have downloaded waypoints for some really neat Abandoned Cemeteries, only to find when they got there that they had manicured lawns! (I for one do not like to be the subject of cursing.)

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

BTW, there is a web site that "compresses" the information from a given cemetery from FindAGrave into a single page that can be parsed easily with programming languages, such as Perl and Python. The site is: GPS-Grave Photo Status Search. (In this case GPS means Grave Photo Search!!!) Although it is targeted for folks with questions about photos, it also serves other purposes. All you have to do is copy the cemetery ID from FindAGrave (the number after CRid= in the URL) into the box in the aforementioned site and click Submit.

 

After clicking the number/link to the right of the all graves label, and perhaps having to wait some time on those really large cemeteries, the page lists every grave in the cemetery.

 

I then use Ctrl-A (select all) and Ctrl-C (copy) and paste the results into a text file. A script then digests the information down to some interesting things like:

1. How many graves were missing death dates
   
2. The oldest recorded death date
   
3. The list of centenarians (or candidates thereof, given that some folks goof up the dates!)
   
4. The date of the last burial in the cemetery
   

Unfortunately, the script I wrote is in an interpretive language I invented back in the mid 1980s and have added features over the years; but which is not available everywhere. I need to rewrite that into Perl if anyone else is interested in such a thing.

 

I then use that information in all of my cemetery waymarks (Worldwide, Churchyard, Abandoned) and to locate centenarians. I wish there was an API directly into FindAGrave so that I wouldn't have to go through the extra steps with the GPS-Grave Photo Status Search site; but I'm thankful that it's available!

Edited December 16, 2015 by MountainWoods

[+T0SHEA]

BTW, there is a web site that "compresses" the information from a given cemetery from FindAGrave into a single page that can be parsed easily with programming languages, such as Perl and Python. The site is: GPS-Grave Photo Status Search.

Hey - THANKS MountainWoods, for that info!!! I suspect Barb is gonna find that REALLY useful. If the output is or can be converted into comma or tab separated fields, our workhorse Excel can be made to do all the work for us.

 

Gonna go try it out right now...

 

30 minutes later - works like a charm, one search and replace all, pour into Excel, write one small formula and now we can extract any and all data that's there. No need for Perl, Python, etc. Thanks again, MountainWoods.

 

The next Day...

 

Spoke too soon. I'd forgotten about Excel's having not the foggiest notion how to handle mixed date formats in a sane manner. The results are astonishingly WEIRD!!! After trying roughly 12,483 different approaches, I gave up and went to Open Office Calc. Works like a Champ!!!

Edited December 19, 2015 by BK-Hunters

[+8Nuts MotherGoose]

A quick note to remind everyone that a cemetery that appears to be abandoned, may not be abandoned.

I am aware of four cemeteries that are prairie preserves. They do not get mowed because these cemeteries contain endangered species of plants. All four have signs at the entrance stating they are cared for by a specific conservancy group.

[+MountainWoods]

BTW, the Abandoned Cemeteries category description already stated:

 

DO NOT:

- record cemeteries in use today

- or cemeteries which are still maintained on a regular basis.

(emphasis added). To that last sentence has been added:

 

Cemeteries that show signs of regular maintenance (mowing, etc.) will be declined.

 

Although that should not have had to be added, since it is simply restating the requirement in a "positively negative" form.

 

I just had to decline my first non-Abandoned Cemetery waymark yesterday. Manicured lawn mowing, but with the last grave over 300 years old. Maintained is not abandoned. Last grave of 300 years ago is Inactive, not abandoned.

 

BTW, I don't know who did the category description originally, but I like the "picture in words" that they start out with:

You walk through the woods and stumble upon a gravestone. One becomes two, two becomes three and before you know it you're standing in the middle of an overgrown, forgotten cemetery.

It may not have to be in a woods. But you get the picture. This is a cemetery that you might not know it was even there, until you stumble upon it. Or you might just glimpse the contrasting white headstone in a dark, weedy place that tells you that someone (or more) is/are buried there. A mowed cemetery does not evoke the same imagery at all!

[+MountainWoods]

A quick note to remind everyone that a cemetery that appears to be abandoned, may not be abandoned.

I am aware of four cemeteries that are prairie preserves. They do not get mowed because these cemeteries contain endangered species of plants. All four have signs at the entrance stating they are cared for by a specific conservancy group.

We'll keep that in mind. But right now it's the reverse of the issue we've been having. We may accidentally allow one of these cemeteries into the category because it looks like it isn't maintained, and we may not have anyway to know it. But it's something to watch for. That's not as bad as having to review and decline a clearly "manicured" cemetery that happens to have graves that are "really old" (last burial 100 or 300 years ago).

[Boomhawr]

Not even sure what you're talking about. Could y'all explain what y'all are doing with "abandoned" cemeteries, and why? I have family buried in cemeteries that no one has cared for in decades. I live in the next state, so I can't go up there and do it myself. BUT it IS still a cemetery. I've tried cleaning up around the family plot some, but full trees are grown up everywhere, so it's going to take A LOT of time and work to get done. Also, I got my lodge to start maintaining 1 locally that hadn't been touched in over 10 years, because the guy who used to do it had died.

 

Anyway, I would appreciate anyone filling me in here. Thanks.

[+T0SHEA]

Anyway, I would appreciate anyone filling me in here. Thanks.

In the past there were many NON-abandoned cemeteries submitted to and approved in the Abandoned Cemeteries category. New blood in the officers group - AKA MountainWoods, and others, are trying to take the category back to its original intention, that of accepting only cemeteries which are no longer receiving any TLC and are no longer receiving burials. The result is a cleanout of previously approved cemetery waymarks which should never have been approved and much more strict adherence to the stated requirements of the category.

 

****************************************************************

 

It just hit home... ... NOW what we need is an INACTIVE Cemeteries category.

Edited December 20, 2015 by BK-Hunters

[Boomhawr]

Thank you. But I actually got that part. What I haven't learned yet is the "waymarks" part. So far, all I've done is standard geocaches. I'm trying to figure out what the "waymarks" part is. Again, thank you for your input, though. Maybe you can fill me in on the rest too?

[+MountainWoods]

Ahhh. Good to know the context. Well you are in a Waymarking forum, rather than a Geocaching forum (yes, I know, they have it looking like Waymarking is hierarchically below geocaching, but they are not the same thing), so 'twould be a good thing to learn what Waymarking is.

 

See, you walked into a forum thread on a particular situation in a (to you) unknown hobby and started asking questions. We thought that you knew about the hobby and were wondering about the particular situation. Now that we know where you're coming from, it would be best to "pop up" a few levels and start with what the hobby is.

 

Here is a link to the top level documentation on the Waymarking hobby. When you go to the main Waymarking page at http://www.Waymarking.com and click on the link that says let's get started (under New to Waymarking.com?), it is that link. (If you have more questions, I would suggest starting in the Waymarking forum entitled, Getting Started With Waymarking.)

 

Now back to our discussion on Abandoned Cemeteries Waymarks.

 

Edit: Oh yes, if you were curious as to what we are doing with the Abandoned Cemeteries, rest easy. We are only Waymarking them, not changing them in any way.

Edited December 20, 2015 by MountainWoods

[Boomhawr]

AAAHHHH!!! Yes. Sorry about that. But thank you for helping me once you deciphered my cryptic message. I shall read your suggested links and see what I can learn. I like going to old historic sites, including cemeteries, and enjoy the old craftsmanship and learning of the times gone by. Perhaps this would be something to add into my outings, along with the geocaching.

 

But to make sure I get this 1 point correct (then I'll get to reading on the rest), you don't leave anything there? just GPS mark it, and the cemetery/historic site/ect IS what you are looking for ITSELF at the coordinates?

[+fi67]

AAAHHHH!!! Yes. Sorry about that. But thank you for helping me once you deciphered my cryptic message. I shall read your suggested links and see what I can learn. I like going to old historic sites, including cemeteries, and enjoy the old craftsmanship and learning of the times gone by. Perhaps this would be something to add into my outings, along with the geocaching.

 

But to make sure I get this 1 point correct (then I'll get to reading on the rest), you don't leave anything there? just GPS mark it, and the cemetery/historic site/ect IS what you are looking for ITSELF at the coordinates?

This is absolutely correct. We don't leave anything, except for a documentation of the location on the Waymarking.com site. And we don't take anything but pictures.

 

And Abandoned Cemeteries is only one out of nearly 1100 categories.

[Boomhawr]

Oh, great. I think I like that idea even better than the geocaching.

 

Now, getting back to the original topic, there is a local historic cemetery dating back to before the Civil War that was over grown and abandoned. However, I got my Masonic lodge to help me, and we did a clean up, and started keeping it mowed. So, does that mean it WAS eligible for this category, but now that we are mowing it, it no longer is?

[+MountainWoods]

Oh, great. I think I like that idea even better than the geocaching.

 

Now, getting back to the original topic, there is a local historic cemetery dating back to before the Civil War that was over grown and abandoned. However, I got my Masonic lodge to help me, and we did a clean up, and started keeping it mowed. So, does that mean it WAS eligible for this category, but now that we are mowing it, it no longer is?

That is correct. If it is now regularly maintained, it is no longer an Abandoned Cemetery. But some of us have mixed feelings about this.

 

On the one hand, I am pleased as punch when I stumble across an abandoned cemetery. But then my feelings usually give way to "How could someone let this happen?!?" There have been times that I've been really tempted to try to "unabandon" a cemetery because it just doesn't seem right that the final resting place for folks' remains should be so neglected. I know of one cemetery with 4 graves that was started after 2000, the last grave being from 2008, but it is completely let go. Ridiculous!

 

I started by visiting gobs and gobs of really interesting waymarks here in the Ozarks. Some of which, I have to admit, I never found because of the rugged terrain (and my physical condition, or lack thereof). Then I got into posting a few waymarks and I was hooked. I still love to visit waymarks (certain categories, anyway) that other folks have posted. Cemeteries are one of those things. But there area lot of other fascinating categories.

 

For me, Waymarking has become much more fun than geocaching. It's obviously a personal thing. It just fits me. I love going to these places, and I'm a bit of a "docuholic" to coin a phrase. Unfortunately, some geocachers see some of the categories that were made early on, such as some of the commercial categories like McDonald's (really!) and they, without trying it, badmouth Waymarking -- thus throwing the baby out with the bathwater. One can completely ignore some of those (now) seemingly silly categories, and there are still gobs and gobs of things worth visiting. Ghost towns. National Historic sites, and on and on.

 

And yes, Abandoned Cemeteries.

[Boomhawr]

Ok, so how about just adding a new category forrrrrr.......... "Saved cemeteries"???? Maybe? or just plan "Historic Cemeteries"? Or Cemeteries with burial dates no later than ____ but are still maintained?

[+BruceS]

Ok, so how about just adding a new category forrrrrr.......... "Saved cemeteries"???? Maybe? or just plan "Historic Cemeteries"? Or Cemeteries with burial dates no later than ____ but are still maintained?

 

There is a Worldwide Cemeteries category which accepts all cemeteries without regard to their status. One of the "variables" for a waymark in this category is Status and for the cemetery you are referencing it would be classed as Inactive- Maintained.

[Boomhawr]

Oh, ok. thanks. I was also Kinda referring to the original topic of this thread.

 

 

My (nonhumble) suggestion is that waymarks for cemeteries that are not abandoned, but which simply have very old grave markers, be "grandfathered" in; but that in the future the cemetery really has to be abandoned.

 

 

Maybe make a new category (or if it already exist), then transfer the ones not actually "abandoned" to the new (other) category. Then if someone suddenly decides to clean up and maintain an abandoned cemetery already in this category, move it to another category. Just an idea. Don't know if that idea helps or not. I'm still looking into all this.

[+lumbricus]

...I'm still looking into all this.

What about visiting some Waymarks out there and creating some new ones? Waymarking is great!

[+joshuar9476]

I actually talked to a lawyer about this recently. I have about 30 geocaches hidden in abandoned cemeteries through my home county. In my will I asked that I be buried in one of these old cemeteries with a headstone made to resemble the old headstones. My lawyer contacted the the township that "ownes" the cemetery. They did some research and stated that since it is now abandoned, it can no longer accept human remains. If they did, they would have to be reclassified as a in use cemetery. The way to get around that is cremation as that no longer constitutes as "human remains." The township said so long as I donated some money from my estate to their upkeep fund, they would gladly give me a plot to bury my ashes and erect a headstone.

 

Kind of off topic but just throwing that out there.

[Boomhawr]

hmmm. They don't want to have to reclassify as "in use", BUT they want you to donate money to it's "upkeep" fund? sounds fishy to me.

 

Also, they may not all belong to the city. The 1 we cleaned up and started maintaining was started by a church, but the church said they no longer lay any claim to it. I even have a letter from them saying we can have at it.

[+joshuar9476]

hmmm. They don't want to have to reclassify as "in use", BUT they want you to donate money to it's "upkeep" fund? sounds fishy to me.

 

Also, they may not all belong to the city. The 1 we cleaned up and started maintaining was started by a church, but the church said they no longer lay any claim to it. I even have a letter from them saying we can have at it.

 

upkeep in terms of mowing the grass, picking up litter, restoring damaged headstones, etc. Every township in our county is in charge of the upkeep of it's cemeteries so long as it is not on private property. Our county does a really good job of preserving, cataloging, and upkeeping all of our cemeteries. The county to our north, they just let thiers waste away.