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Letter from the Editor

Welcome to the first edition of "The Grave Concern." The board members of Grave Concern, Inc. have decided to print this quarterly newsletter for our members and the general public to keep everyone informed of our projects and events. We also hope to use this as an educational tool for those of you who are restoring or maintaining cemeteries on your own. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us by mail at Grave Concern, Inc., c/o Fred Buch, 1107 West Main Street, Ephrata, PA 17522, or through email at graveconcerninc@

Thank you!

Andrea Beyer B.A.H.

Grave Concern, Inc.

Board of Directors – 2010

James B. McMullin, President

Steven A. Stuart, Vice President

Jessica L. Wohlbier, Treasurer

Andrea L. Beyer, Secretary

Fred N. Buch, Membership

Samuel M. Mecum, Esq.

Kenn LeFever

W. Charles Laing

Kathleen M. Horein

J. Lowell Forney

Darvin L. Martin

Donald Dixon

Carolyn C. Wenger, Emeritus

Lorna King, Emeritus

Current Projects

Longenecker/Ritter/ Wolff Cemetery

Penn Township Unrecorded

In May or June of 2010, Fox Clearing, LLC, a subsidiary of Keystone Custom Homes, Inc. uncovered this cemetery while leveling out ground for an athletic field in the Sweetbriar Creek Development being constructed in Penn Township. As soon as the crew encountered the gravestones, they stopped digging and contacted the supervisors. A professional geophysicist was brought in from the ARM Group to use the ground-penetrating radar to determine if there were other artifacts or graves underground. She found several anomalies during her study. A professional archaeologist was then brought in to supervise a controlled mechanical dig, as the ground was too rocky for a manual excavation. The team uncovered 23 gravestones, wood fragments, less than a dozen cut nails, and what appeared to be a human bone, supposedly part of the cranium. At this point the excavation was halted, and a report was written up on the findings. The gravestones, with the surnames Wolff, Ritter, and Longenecker, were removed from the site and relocated to a building at another location for safekeeping. The other artifacts were left on site. Nothing further has been done to examine the site. Keystone petitioned the court to be allowed to move the stones and remains to a different location as it would impede their construction of the athletic fields. The main point of contention at the hearing would be, is this actually a cemetery or simply artifacts relocated from the original point of interment. The hearing took place on Thursday,

August 19th, 2010, at 9:30 am in Courtroom 12, on the 4th floor of the Lancaster County Courthouse, and was presided over by Judge Ashworth. Attorney Mark Kaplin presented the case for Keystone. Before the hearing, Judge Ashworth had required Keystone to post a notice in the newspapers and to send contact letters to possible descendents of the names found on the gravestones. Keystone did as the Judge asked. They presented plot maps of the development and had their expert witnesses testify. Sam Mecum stood as the attorney for Grave Concern, Inc. As predicted, the main point of contention was, is this a cemetery or just a pile of artifacts. It was not proven either way as the excavation had not been fully completed. By the end of the hearing, Judge Ashworth was faced with two possibilities: leave the “area of concern” where it is or move it to Mellinger Mennonite Cemetery (HR 147 #2A) located on the Lincoln Highway East, east of Greenfield Road. He asked David Kratzer, Jr., Penn Township supervisor, to work with Keystone to find a location on the development site to relocate the artifacts. He gave both sides 2 weeks to investigate further. Since the hearing, we have heard from several descendents or relations of those buried at Sweetbriar. We have talked with someone who remembered when the gravestones were buried and the actual location of the cemetery. We have also heard from some of the community members living in Sweetbriar. At least 4 of them would like to see the cemetery remain rather than have a soccer field built. Kratzer offered up two plots that are not being used as possible areas for relocating the cemetery. Kaplin is pushing for relocation at Fairview Cemetery, less than 1 mile away. The Judge will meet with the lawyers again in 2 weeks.

Current Projects Cont.

Central Manor Cemetery Manor Township

HR 299 #87

During snow removal over the winter, a huge chunk of dirt was thrown into the cemetery on top of the fence presumably by a front-end loader snowplow. The fence has since been fixed and set upright. The dirt was removed and put back into the bank. The cemetery is currently being mowed by a local pastor's son.

Binkley/Kauffman/Herr Cemetery

Manor Township

HR 290 #25

The work on the cemetery is being done by a Grave Concern member, Henry Bitler. Mr. Bitler probed in a corner of the cemetery that had been plowed over and found 2 buried gravestones. Many of the stones have been repaired and reset. A marker with the name of the cemetery has also been placed on site.

Rockey Cemetery

Bart Township

HR 45 #8

This cemetery was brought to our attention about 2 years ago by someone from Seattle, Washington. She came to her family cemetery and found that it had been used as an animal pen. Grave Concern worked with the owner and his lawyer to have the cemetery fixed up. Some of the stones have been fixed although not by the best standards. Many of the weeds were cleared out thanks to the local Boy Scout troop. DAR also visited the site and marked the grave of a Revolutionary War veteran. Salt has also been spread throughout the cemetery to help cut back the weed growth.

Grider Cemetery

West Hempfield Twp.

HR 450 #26

This cemetery was also alleged to be a victim of a snowplow during the heavy snows last winter. It is located only 4 feet off the road and is semi-protected by a cement block wall along the road. The wall was knocked down, and the markers within it were also upset. The markers themselves weigh over 200 lbs. Grave Concern is working with the state to have them provide funds to have the wall reset. The new wall should be built with cement blocks and filled with concrete for sturdiness.

Herr Cemetery

Manor Township

HR 300 #90

Grave Concern was contacted in May by a concerned descendent. The farmer had removed the walls and the gravestones and plowed over the cemetery in the late 1990s. He erected a monument in 2001 at the insistence of Grave Concern, but it is not on the exact site of the former cemetery. The contact asked if Grave Concern would try to work with the farmer again to relocate the monument to the exact site.

All Cemeteries

Grave Concern is currently working on recording the GPS coordinates for all of the cemeteries still standing. If you have a GPS device and are willing to help us out, please forward any coordinates you collect to our email address.

Past Events

In June, several Grave Concern members and their guests visited the Lancaster Cemetery for a private tour by Frank Weatherly. We spent 2 hours visiting the cemetery and hearing many stories about the various graves. The favorites of the day were the lady descending the stairs, the miniature house, the veteran burial area, and the above-ground crypt. Many thanks to Frank and the Lancaster Cemetery for giving us a wonderful and educational afternoon!

Upcoming Events

General Meeting

Wed, Sept. 15, 2010

7:30 pm at L.C.H.S.

"Ready for Freddy"

Dick Long will portray Abner Eyde and his long career with the Fred F. Groff Funeral Home which dates back to 1899.

General Meeting

Wed, Nov. 17, 2010

7:30 pm at L.C.H.S.

“Tombstone Carvers of Lancaster County”

Barry Rawhouser

Announcements

In future editions, we hope to include announcements from members and tips on cemetery restoration and maintenance. This is where we need YOUR help. We would welcome questions on how to tackle a repair challenges, notification of burial grounds in need of some love and attention, and offers to volunteer a bit of time in a particular area of the county. Please mail or email us with your tips and suggestions for our winter edition.

*Note: All of the citations refer to Churches and Cemeteries of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by A. Hunter Rineer, Jr. and published by the Lancaster County Historical Society in 1993.

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THE GRAVE CONCERN… [pic]

Fall 2010 “Speaking for those who can no longer speak for themselves.”

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