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Taphophilia (dot) Com...
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Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.
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Potters Field: No rules, no records, no problem? |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Wednesday, 22 June 2005 |
CLEVELAND--Potter's Field is the area of the cemetery located adjacent to Veteran's Road that provides a burial area for the local indigent population who cannot afford a plot or burial expenses.
According to a member of the Fort Hill Cemetery Association there still are not even basic burial records kept of indigent citizens laid to rest in Potter's Field, though there has been discussion recently among county commissioners and members of the Fort Hill Association about beginning a record-keeping process.
Unlike privately owned cemeteries, the municipally owned property is not required by law to keep records of burial locations, through members of the association would like to do so. "The only way we can identify who is buried in those areas is to go back to the funeral homes and ask. We're constantly trying to identify people in other areas, because it's my understanding that the records were burned up years ago," said Gary Austin, a member of the association.
In addition to unidentified indigents, Fort Hill Cemetery is the final resting place of many of Cleveland's historic figures including members of the Hardwick, Craigmiles and Speck families. "Members of the board who are interested in genealogy are working on identifying and getting records together to create a book to be made available to the public," Austin said.
Association members are trying to implement guidelines that would better document who is buried at Potter's Field and where exactly the bodies are laid. "There are no guidelines about where you can be buried and they're not utilizing the space," said Gary Conner, a former member of the association who still provides mowing and maintenance for the property through Southeastern Community Corrections.
Recent burials were placed near the road, though an open grassy area further back appeared to be available. The area also has a number of graves with temporary markers or no markers at all to indicate where graves have been placed. "My biggest concern is if we're burying people there where other people are not marked," Austin said. "There has been a time or two that graves have been dug in areas where other people are buried."
When talking about concerns at Potter's Field, members of the association cite a number of problems, with records being the weightiest issue. There are also concerns about the headstones in the indigent area. While some graves are unmarked or bear only a small, inexpensive marker, others bear larger more elaborate memorials.
"That's a big concern of the funeral homes. They identify someone as indigent then go up six months later and find a big headstone on the site," Austin said. While they have concerns about the markers, association members we spoke to agree that all graves should be marked, perhaps in a uniform manner.
"We need to have a permanent marker of all the grave sites. Those temporary markers will disappear in a year or so and when the grave is grown over you won't know it's there and if someone comes in and digs down they might find a casket down there," Conner said. Many burial sites have been landscaped into small memorial gardens, a colorful contrast to the stretches of lawn that covers the rest of the cemetery grounds. Though some bear evidence of recent care, others have been left untended, making mowing difficult in some areas as the crews try to respect the families' efforts.
"We don't have a right to clean up those graves," Conner said. Conner said that he believes indigent burial location is at the sole discretion of the funeral homes. Funeral directors at Buckner Rush and Grissom Funeral homes were not available to comment as of press time.
Fort Hill Cemetery Association members we spoke to are aware of plans for the association to meet, perhaps with funeral home directors, to create guidelines for the use of Potter's Field. "We're all aware there is an issue and we're addressing that," Austin said.
"We need to plot it out and be sure these people have a permanent marker when they're buried. They may be gone but they should not be forgotten," Conner said. "It's nothing that can't be addressed and fixed if we develop those guidelines and funeral homes follow them."
Source: Bradley Weekly
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Taphophilia?
taphophilia (taf′ō-fil′ē-ă)
ORIGIN:
From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"
DEFINITION: 1. An excessive interest in graves and cemeteries. 2. A love or fondness for funerals, graves, and cemeteries. 3. In psychiatry, a morbid attraction to graves and cemeteries
Quote Repository
“Death is not a foe, but an inevitable adventure.” Sir Oliver Lodge
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