Tuesday June 26, 2007

Old Boyle cemetery falling into disrepair

By BOBBIE CURD
bcurd@amnews.com

DOCTORS FORK - Edwina Morgenson visits her son's grave in Old Union Cemetery and mows it as well.

She buried her son there last year after he died of complications from muscular dystrophy and says she realized how badly the cemetery needed attention.

Morgenson walks the grounds, which are surrounded by her family's farm, and found headstones turned over, some broken in two and even small piles of them gathered up.

After she began seeing more stones knocked over or chipped, she called the president of the cemetery board, Robby Mayes. She claims she's talked to him repeatedly for more than a year, but nothing has been done.

Morgenson thumbs through pictures she took in May, when the cemetery resembled more of a hayfield than a burial ground. She told Mayes someone was mowing with a Bush Hog and damaging stones. Deciding "it was picture time," she sent several photos to him showing broken stones and tractor tire tracks in the cemetery.

"I really don't think Robby wants to talk to me anymore, but I can't keep my mouth shut and let this continue to go on. It's noted as being the oldest public cemetery in the area, so why not take care of it?" says Morgenson.

Mayes said he is aware of the situation and doing what he can in his spare time to rectify the problem; however, money is an issue.

"We have a $20,000 CD (certificate of deposit) that earns interest, and that's what we use to pay the man to mow," Mayes said.

More than the earnings

The mowing costs $100 each time. "So if you're mowing about 16 times a year, that's $1,600, which goes over what the CD earns."

Mayes couldn't attest to what the board has in total funds, including donations, and the board treasurer could not be reached for comment.

"A while back, the Harmon, Pipes and Gray families, who have their reunion out there every year, cleaned up the area, but Miss Morgenson was probably too little to remember that," Mayes said.

The man who is paid to mow now is in college and sometimes doesn't have time to take care of it or he's in a hurry, according to Mayes.

"He does mow with a Bush Hog and a tractor, and he has damaged some (stones) but not intentionally," Mayes said. "Some of the stones are leaning because of the movement of the earth, when the ground shifts after freezing."

Mayes said he's in the process of accepting a bid from a professional mower who would charge $150.

"I don't have any complaints against Miss Morgenson. Most of this has come about because she's out there three times a week, which is good," Mayes said. "I go about three to four times a year to see what's going on."

Volunteer work

Replacing stones that are piled up or knocked over will have to be done voluntarily, he said.

"The problem is I get comments from people complaining about everything, but they never give a dime for anything. It's more like an order than it is a request," he said.

Families are not charged to bury someone there, but a collection box, paid for and put up by Mayes, is on site to take donations.

"There's a lot of people who are very distantly related to the folks who live there and they donate. Then there are people who have grandparents there, and they don't give a dime," he said.

"We could take $10,000 to fix it up, but then what do we do for running money during the year?" Mayes asked.

"My point is that people go out there and visit and notice that it's not like it ought to be, but fail to read the sign and see that they can help by donating. Rather than that, they prefer to call me and complain."