MIAMI – When Enid Pinkney was a girl in the 1940s, her grandmother would tell her stories about a black cemetery nestled in the northwest corner of Miami in an area once called Lemon City.
Pinkney never saw any headstones or tombs on the former farm land, which gradually became surrounded by small homes, car lots and industrial warehouses starting in the 1950s and 1960s. Interstate 95 rumbles past a few blocks away.
But Pinkney's grandmother was apparently right. The bones of at least 11 people — and possibly dozens more — were recently discovered during construction of an affordable housing project. A local historian says the site was probably a cemetery for settlers from the Bahamas who came to South Florida in the early 1900s to tend to wealthy whites and to help build Florida's most cosmopolitan city.
Now Pinkney, a 78-year-old activist and civic historian, is among those who want construction halted and the site designated as historic.
"Even though the people are dead, they are speaking to us," said Pinkney, who went before the city's Historic Preservation Board last week to discuss the discovery. "Their spirits are saying, we were here. We laid the foundation for this community and we are being disrespected."
The scattered bones were first discovered in April. Someone called Pinkney about the find and she started to ask around in the black community to see what people remembered.
Pinkney approached Teresita DeVeaux, a 100-year-old woman who was born in the Bahamas and came to Miami as a child. DeVeaux remembered that a young man named Theophilus Clark was buried there. Pinkney mentioned this detail to a reporter from The Miami Herald — and when a story with Clark's name was published, a local historian named Larry Wiggins took note.
Wiggins said he plugged Clark's name into a Mormon genealogy Web site, and discovered that the man was buried in 1926 at a place called the Lemon City Cemetery.
There is no known cemetery in the area by that name, so Wiggins ran a geneology records search using the keywords "Lemon City Cemetery." A total of 523 names came up, all of black people, many from the Bahamas or infants of Bahamian settlers. The majority were buried between 1915 and 1925, right around the time when millionaires began developing Miami Beach.
But if this was a named cemetery, why wasn't it on any city maps? And why didn't anyone remember it or fight for preservation when the land was developed over the years?
"It's so mystifying," said Paul George, historian for the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.
He has an idea of what happened, however. It's likely that the former pastureland was owned by a private citizen and used as a black cemetery. Because it served the poor and marginalized immigrants, the city never paid much attention. Then people forgot about it as a number of things changed the surroundings: whites driving blacks out of Lemon City in early decades of the century, the nearby placement of I-95, a rapidly changing ethnic makeup of the area, which is now heavily populated with Haitian immigrants.
"We've obliterated our history, especially for the unempowered," said George. "We don't have a great reverence for our past. Things are forgotten very quickly."
Another unanswered question surrounds the status of the housing development on the property. The developer was going to build three towers for affordable and senior housing on the site. One of the towers is almost finished; work has stopped on the other two.
Patrick Range Jr., an attorney and spokesman for the developer, said the project is in limbo while more archaeological work is done.
"We're trying to come up with a solution that is both respectful and appropriate," said Range, who is the son of Athalie Range, one of Miami's well-known black leaders. "It certainly is clear to us that it's some type of burial ground. We're still a bit baffled as to what exactly took place, why it seemed to have fallen off the radar. Certainly it was a segregated time and certainly it's not beyond imagination that this cemetery would have disappeared."
Range said that the developer has finished an extensive radar scan of the property; he said there are a few areas where there are definitely objects underground. The developer will hire archaeologists to hand-dig those areas in the coming weeks to find out what's in the soil.
"We certainly do intend to bring the project to fruition," he said. "What it will look like at the end stage, I don't think we're ready to say."
But Pinkney and other black community leaders insist that the people that lay under the ground be remembered. City officials have speculated that there may be little they can do in the way of historic designation because there are no historic structures on the site and that no one of historical note is buried there. State rules say that construction on former cemeteries is acceptable if remains are appropriately moved.
In the meantime, Miami's Historic Preservation Board voted unanimously last week to approve "in principle" that at least part of the property be kept undeveloped as a memorial park. But the resolution is not binding by law.
"These are the people who helped to make Miami what it is. They laid the foundation for what we have. They were pioneers," said Pinkney. "This is so typical of what happens to black people. It's like you get eliminated, discounted, disrespected and when something like this happens, it's almost like it's your fault that the city doesn't have a map to prove you existed."
Friday, July 17, 2009
Research cemeteries before buying plots; BBB gave Burr Oak an "F"
nvestigators comb the grounds of the now-closed Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip on Monday, continuing to look for evidence where four former workers allegedly dug up bodies to resell burial plots.
The crimes allegedly committed at Burr Oak Cemetery have shaken people's faith in the cemetery business.
No one wants to experience the nightmare Burr Oak families now face, where it's possible that their loved ones' graves were exhumed from the Alsip cemetery, their bodies dumped and the plots resold.
While the state considers whether to regulate cemeteries, is there a way to protect the graves of deceased loves ones, short of setting up a 24-hour "grave cam"?
No one suggests any of the Burr Oak families are at fault for what happened, but experts say there are a few pre-burial steps consumers can take to protect their families' eternal resting places.
The first step should be to check with the Better Business Bureau. For the past three years, the South suburban Burr Oak Cemetery had an "F" rating from the bureau - the lowest rating possible - because of numerous customer complaints, said BBB president and CEO Steve Bernas. The complaints included the inability to find a headstone and graves that weren't dug in time for the funerals.
Burr Oak Cemetery is one of five Chicago area cemeteries that currently have an "F" rating, Bernas said. He's not allowed to release the names, but said people can call (31... and inquire about specific places or request a businesses that has BBB accreditation.
After a burial, the only way to really keep tabs on a grave is to regularly visit. If you can't, find someone who can, suggests Roman Szabelski, executive director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, which manages 44 cemeteries in Cook and Lake Counties. Szabelski has been named to oversee Burr Oak as investigators try to sort out what happened and correct the situation.
"It starts out with being proactive. If you're not visiting, is it that important to you?" he said. "We, as consumers, have a responsibility to check on people. Visiting our graves, visiting our hospitals, visiting our nursing homes ... sometimes we're too quick to turn it over to the professionals."
Szabelski also stressed the importance of planning in advance, and not waiting until two days before a funeral to shop for a cemetery plot. That way, families aren't forced to make rushed decisions while grieving.
Shopping for a burial plot should be done with the same rigor as buying a house, said Duane Marsh, executive director of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association. Look closely at the property. Listen to your gut feelings. Ask to see the plot so you know where it is and how to find it.
"Take a look. Is (the cemetery) cared for? Is the lawn mowed? Is it kept up? Look at the headstones," Marsh said.
Also ask questions. Talk with local funeral directors and see which cemeteries they like or dislike. Meet with the cemetery personnel, and make sure they're friendly and helpful.
"If people in the office don't give a hoot as to what's happening, I'd turn around and leave and go to the next cemetery," Szabelski said.
Just as you can't 100 percent protect your home from being burglarized, there's not a foolproof way to protect your family's graves from criminal activity. The people with relatives buried at Burr Oak might have taken all the precautions and still become victims, Marsh said.
"What happened (in Burr Oak) ... is not the norm," he said.
"It's a crime," Szabelski added. "When there's evil in the world, I don't know if there's any way to regulate and control evil."
The crimes allegedly committed at Burr Oak Cemetery have shaken people's faith in the cemetery business.
No one wants to experience the nightmare Burr Oak families now face, where it's possible that their loved ones' graves were exhumed from the Alsip cemetery, their bodies dumped and the plots resold.
While the state considers whether to regulate cemeteries, is there a way to protect the graves of deceased loves ones, short of setting up a 24-hour "grave cam"?
No one suggests any of the Burr Oak families are at fault for what happened, but experts say there are a few pre-burial steps consumers can take to protect their families' eternal resting places.
The first step should be to check with the Better Business Bureau. For the past three years, the South suburban Burr Oak Cemetery had an "F" rating from the bureau - the lowest rating possible - because of numerous customer complaints, said BBB president and CEO Steve Bernas. The complaints included the inability to find a headstone and graves that weren't dug in time for the funerals.
Burr Oak Cemetery is one of five Chicago area cemeteries that currently have an "F" rating, Bernas said. He's not allowed to release the names, but said people can call (31... and inquire about specific places or request a businesses that has BBB accreditation.
After a burial, the only way to really keep tabs on a grave is to regularly visit. If you can't, find someone who can, suggests Roman Szabelski, executive director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, which manages 44 cemeteries in Cook and Lake Counties. Szabelski has been named to oversee Burr Oak as investigators try to sort out what happened and correct the situation.
"It starts out with being proactive. If you're not visiting, is it that important to you?" he said. "We, as consumers, have a responsibility to check on people. Visiting our graves, visiting our hospitals, visiting our nursing homes ... sometimes we're too quick to turn it over to the professionals."
Szabelski also stressed the importance of planning in advance, and not waiting until two days before a funeral to shop for a cemetery plot. That way, families aren't forced to make rushed decisions while grieving.
Shopping for a burial plot should be done with the same rigor as buying a house, said Duane Marsh, executive director of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association. Look closely at the property. Listen to your gut feelings. Ask to see the plot so you know where it is and how to find it.
"Take a look. Is (the cemetery) cared for? Is the lawn mowed? Is it kept up? Look at the headstones," Marsh said.
Also ask questions. Talk with local funeral directors and see which cemeteries they like or dislike. Meet with the cemetery personnel, and make sure they're friendly and helpful.
"If people in the office don't give a hoot as to what's happening, I'd turn around and leave and go to the next cemetery," Szabelski said.
Just as you can't 100 percent protect your home from being burglarized, there's not a foolproof way to protect your family's graves from criminal activity. The people with relatives buried at Burr Oak might have taken all the precautions and still become victims, Marsh said.
"What happened (in Burr Oak) ... is not the norm," he said.
"It's a crime," Szabelski added. "When there's evil in the world, I don't know if there's any way to regulate and control evil."
Local cemeteries express outrage over Illinois case
he owners of two local cemeteries can't help but grimace as they watch law enforcement officers continue to comb the grounds of Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Ill., where it is estimated that more than 300 bodies were dug up and thrown in a pile so four workers allegedly could resell their plots.
Although they insist the travesty at a predominantly black cemetery in Illinois is an isolated incident, the owners concede it puts a mark on the entire industry nonetheless.
"This is three to four individuals acting on their own to basically not only hurt the families involved, but to destroy the cemetery as well. We're all disturbed by this," said Frank Milles, vice president for administration of StoneMor Partners LP in Levittown, Pa., which oversees more than 280 properties in 29 states, including Calvary Cemetery in Portage.
"This cannot happen at a properly run cemetery without everyone on the property being involved," said David Shipper, president of Indiana Memorial Group, which owns 42 cemeteries including Graceland in Valparaiso.
"In the end we'll find out the whole story. I don't think it's been told yet," Shipper said.
Shipper and Milles were the only two of several cemetery owners in Northwest Indiana who would comment on the Illinois scandal.
Meanwhile, Indiana already has in place rules governing the funeral and cemetery industry, and agencies to oversee those rules, unlike Illinois, where lawmakers are scrambling in the aftermath of the Burr Oak incident to come up with more stringent policies.
Cemeteries are licensed in Indiana, and rules and regulations governing them are provided on the Indiana State Board of Funerals and Cemetery Services Web site, said Molly Butter, information officer for the Indiana Attorney General's Office. Complaints are filed with the Attorney General's Office, and are heard by the state licensing board, she said.
While Butters said there is one complaint before the Attorney General's Office, it has to do with misuse of funds, not disruption of graves.
Indiana rules call for disciplinary action in the event of any fraud, and a 90-day suspension with adjudication if an employee is found to present a danger to the public's health, safety or property. They also state that cemetery plots can be sold by the cemetery owner after 50 years if they are not used and no improvement to the site, such as a monument, has been made. But the plot's owner must be notified.
Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes wants both Burr Oak and another cemetery owned by Arizona-based Perpetua placed in a receivership. He is calling for Perpetua's $5.9 million in trust funds for cemetery maintenance and prepurchased funerals to be frozen. A hearing is scheduled Friday.
Both Milles and Shipper said while their corporate offices are not located on the cemetery's sites, several management layers would prevent this type of criminal activity from occurring
"We have a local manager on site and a regional team that does individual work at each cemetery. We review records and transactions. I believe we have good control," Milles said.
Shipper said at all his properties there are computerized records, maps of cemetery sections, paper files and burial cards, all of which provide physical evidence of a burial having taken place in a given plot. All of that information is also on computer, he said.
The Chicago Sun-Times contributed to this story.
Although they insist the travesty at a predominantly black cemetery in Illinois is an isolated incident, the owners concede it puts a mark on the entire industry nonetheless.
"This is three to four individuals acting on their own to basically not only hurt the families involved, but to destroy the cemetery as well. We're all disturbed by this," said Frank Milles, vice president for administration of StoneMor Partners LP in Levittown, Pa., which oversees more than 280 properties in 29 states, including Calvary Cemetery in Portage.
"This cannot happen at a properly run cemetery without everyone on the property being involved," said David Shipper, president of Indiana Memorial Group, which owns 42 cemeteries including Graceland in Valparaiso.
"In the end we'll find out the whole story. I don't think it's been told yet," Shipper said.
Shipper and Milles were the only two of several cemetery owners in Northwest Indiana who would comment on the Illinois scandal.
Meanwhile, Indiana already has in place rules governing the funeral and cemetery industry, and agencies to oversee those rules, unlike Illinois, where lawmakers are scrambling in the aftermath of the Burr Oak incident to come up with more stringent policies.
Cemeteries are licensed in Indiana, and rules and regulations governing them are provided on the Indiana State Board of Funerals and Cemetery Services Web site, said Molly Butter, information officer for the Indiana Attorney General's Office. Complaints are filed with the Attorney General's Office, and are heard by the state licensing board, she said.
While Butters said there is one complaint before the Attorney General's Office, it has to do with misuse of funds, not disruption of graves.
Indiana rules call for disciplinary action in the event of any fraud, and a 90-day suspension with adjudication if an employee is found to present a danger to the public's health, safety or property. They also state that cemetery plots can be sold by the cemetery owner after 50 years if they are not used and no improvement to the site, such as a monument, has been made. But the plot's owner must be notified.
Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes wants both Burr Oak and another cemetery owned by Arizona-based Perpetua placed in a receivership. He is calling for Perpetua's $5.9 million in trust funds for cemetery maintenance and prepurchased funerals to be frozen. A hearing is scheduled Friday.
Both Milles and Shipper said while their corporate offices are not located on the cemetery's sites, several management layers would prevent this type of criminal activity from occurring
"We have a local manager on site and a regional team that does individual work at each cemetery. We review records and transactions. I believe we have good control," Milles said.
Shipper said at all his properties there are computerized records, maps of cemetery sections, paper files and burial cards, all of which provide physical evidence of a burial having taken place in a given plot. All of that information is also on computer, he said.
The Chicago Sun-Times contributed to this story.
Shouldn't the state have as much control over cemeteries as they do over barbers?
The one thing we found out almost from the beginning is if you get your hair cut, a barber is more highly regulated than the people who operate cemeteries. There is virtually no regulation whatsoever.
-- Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart
Families with loved ones buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Belleville and Valley View Cemetery in Edwardsville have many questions now that the cemeteries -- already missing $300,000 from prepaid burial accounts and struggling to keep the grass cut -- apparently have closed.
The situation isn't as bad as Burr Oak Cemetery in Cook County, where employees allegedly dug up hundreds of bodies so they could resell burial sites. But it's bad enough.
Imagine finding out that slip of paper that promised perpetual care is meaningless. And what should Belleville and Edwardsville leaders do? Take on the expense of maintaining a cemetery? Or let the weeds grow and put up with complaints about an eyesore?
Comptroller Dan Hynes just notified the owners that they can't just quit. But how can the state force a business to keep going?
Along with these new questions, we're still waiting for an answer to an old one. Hynes discovered that money was missing in October, yet eight months later no criminal charges have been filed. What's the holdup?
Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed a commission to look at regulating cemeteries. Hynes and some lawmakers tried to get regulations enacted this week, without success.
It seems reasonable that the state should have at least as much control over cemetery owners as they do over barbers
-- Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart
Families with loved ones buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Belleville and Valley View Cemetery in Edwardsville have many questions now that the cemeteries -- already missing $300,000 from prepaid burial accounts and struggling to keep the grass cut -- apparently have closed.
The situation isn't as bad as Burr Oak Cemetery in Cook County, where employees allegedly dug up hundreds of bodies so they could resell burial sites. But it's bad enough.
Imagine finding out that slip of paper that promised perpetual care is meaningless. And what should Belleville and Edwardsville leaders do? Take on the expense of maintaining a cemetery? Or let the weeds grow and put up with complaints about an eyesore?
Comptroller Dan Hynes just notified the owners that they can't just quit. But how can the state force a business to keep going?
Along with these new questions, we're still waiting for an answer to an old one. Hynes discovered that money was missing in October, yet eight months later no criminal charges have been filed. What's the holdup?
Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed a commission to look at regulating cemeteries. Hynes and some lawmakers tried to get regulations enacted this week, without success.
It seems reasonable that the state should have at least as much control over cemetery owners as they do over barbers
Two Illinois cemeteries shut down without explanation
KSDK -- The owner of two Metro East cemeteries packed up and took off last weekend, closing the business for good. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions about what will happen to the cemetery and prepaid customers.
Edwardsville police say they've had problems with the Valley View Cemetery off Route 157 for more than a decade. Police say there have been several irresponsible owners, but this is among the worst they've seen.
Police started getting complaints about the cemetery when the current owner Hillman Crowell took over Valley View and the Mt. Hope cemeteries in Belleville a few years ago. Callers told Edwardsville police the grass was too long and the cemetery was poorly maintained. Officers ticketed Crowell and they say it got better for a while. But when Crowell died this winter, his daughter took over. Police say the problems got worse.
Officers say she didn't have enough money to pay the bills, so on Saturday, she packed everything up, laid off her employees and left.
Now a lot of people, including customers and the City of Edwardsville are left wondering what's next.
"I've got papers to be cremated here too," said Nova Farrell, whose husband is buried at Valley View. "I don't know if they'll take care of that."
"This is a pretty big cemetery," said Lt. Scott Evers of the Edwardsville Police department. "It requires a lot of maintenance. That's one of the issues we're trying to resolve now. Working with the comptroller, the state's attorney and city officials to find a short term solution and a long term solution."
We contacted the owner's daughter, but a woman at her office referred all calls to the Edwardsville Police Department.
Ideally, the City of Edwardsville would like to see the state step in and take control of the cemeteries until they can find a responsible party to buy them, but with the state's current budget problems, that may not be possible.
Edwardsville police say they've had problems with the Valley View Cemetery off Route 157 for more than a decade. Police say there have been several irresponsible owners, but this is among the worst they've seen.
Police started getting complaints about the cemetery when the current owner Hillman Crowell took over Valley View and the Mt. Hope cemeteries in Belleville a few years ago. Callers told Edwardsville police the grass was too long and the cemetery was poorly maintained. Officers ticketed Crowell and they say it got better for a while. But when Crowell died this winter, his daughter took over. Police say the problems got worse.
Officers say she didn't have enough money to pay the bills, so on Saturday, she packed everything up, laid off her employees and left.
Now a lot of people, including customers and the City of Edwardsville are left wondering what's next.
"I've got papers to be cremated here too," said Nova Farrell, whose husband is buried at Valley View. "I don't know if they'll take care of that."
"This is a pretty big cemetery," said Lt. Scott Evers of the Edwardsville Police department. "It requires a lot of maintenance. That's one of the issues we're trying to resolve now. Working with the comptroller, the state's attorney and city officials to find a short term solution and a long term solution."
We contacted the owner's daughter, but a woman at her office referred all calls to the Edwardsville Police Department.
Ideally, the City of Edwardsville would like to see the state step in and take control of the cemeteries until they can find a responsible party to buy them, but with the state's current budget problems, that may not be possible.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Vandalism is not Ghost Hunting.
As ghost hunting grows in popularity, the number of people setting out in the middle of the night to catch a glimpse of the paranormal grows daily, or perhaps we should say nightly. While this may be a commercial boon for some business owners, some owners of haunted sites are finding the interest in their property more of a curse than a blessing. Many are trespassing on private property, and in some cases breaking into and vandalizing these properties.
The Rock House in Georgia was plagued by such late night visits, and owners were forced to employ 24 hour security. When the Stanley Mill in Ohio was listed as a haunted location on a website, the owners claimed they had to spend thousands on security measures to keep the curious away. They eventually won a $125,000 lawsuit against the website owners and the site was forced to take all information on the mill down. In 2008, 6 Texas youths; Jorge Montoya, 17, Gerardo Santoyo, 18, Felipe Ochoa, 23, Carmen Salazar, 17, Rene Nunez, 21, and John Carrillo, 20 were arrested and charged with criminal trespassing when then broke into Magic Landing Amusement Park, where they were allegedly ghost hunting. Earlier that year, the park was the subject of arson and suffered nearly $500,000 worth of damage. It is unclear whether the two events are related.
n Salem, Massachusetts, a group of three ghost hunters broke into an abandoned hospital in October 2005. Police in the station across the street were alerted and they were arrested, charged with trespassing on private property and fined. The abandoned Danvers State Hospital, also in Massachusetts, has suffered from vandalism and trespassing all in the supposed name of ghost hunting. Prior to the sale of the property to developers, police arrested on average of 5 people a month for trespassing.
The list goes on and on. Strawberry Chapel, a 300 year old church is plagued by vandals. The historic building has suffered over $50,000 in damages and priceless hand blown glass windows have been shattered. All across the country, old cemeteries, buildings and homes are being subject to this kind of mistreatment. Thanks to the immature and disrespectful, places such as Bachelor’s Grove, a historic cemetery in Illinois are now off-limits. A once quaint cemetery hidden in Rubio Woods Forest Preserve had been nearly destroyed by vandals. Headstones have been smashed, moved and defaced, alcohol containers and other trash littered the site, and graves have been desecrated.
While many paranormal researchers work hard to bring credibility to the field, this type of criminal behavior continues to bring a bad name to ghost hunters. Some paranormal groups are now working to restore these historic sites; however the damage has been done in more ways than one. Not only are beautiful and historic locations defaced beyond repair, but many owners of these properties are now forced to take a zero tolerance approach when it comes to paranormal researchers.
As Jason Sullivan, founder of Midwest Haunts and creator of the popular Ghost Hunting 101 series, says in his video Respecting the Paranormal. “Ask permission, and if the owner wants nothing to do with you, then I’m sorry- you need to walk away.” Great advice, Jason! And here’s one more suggestion, while you are walking away, why not stop and pick up the empty beer can littering the area and throw it away?
The video series Ghost Hunting 101 can be found on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/ghosthunting101 and YouTube, and is a must see for anyone interested in becoming a ghost hunter.
The Rock House in Georgia was plagued by such late night visits, and owners were forced to employ 24 hour security. When the Stanley Mill in Ohio was listed as a haunted location on a website, the owners claimed they had to spend thousands on security measures to keep the curious away. They eventually won a $125,000 lawsuit against the website owners and the site was forced to take all information on the mill down. In 2008, 6 Texas youths; Jorge Montoya, 17, Gerardo Santoyo, 18, Felipe Ochoa, 23, Carmen Salazar, 17, Rene Nunez, 21, and John Carrillo, 20 were arrested and charged with criminal trespassing when then broke into Magic Landing Amusement Park, where they were allegedly ghost hunting. Earlier that year, the park was the subject of arson and suffered nearly $500,000 worth of damage. It is unclear whether the two events are related.
n Salem, Massachusetts, a group of three ghost hunters broke into an abandoned hospital in October 2005. Police in the station across the street were alerted and they were arrested, charged with trespassing on private property and fined. The abandoned Danvers State Hospital, also in Massachusetts, has suffered from vandalism and trespassing all in the supposed name of ghost hunting. Prior to the sale of the property to developers, police arrested on average of 5 people a month for trespassing.
The list goes on and on. Strawberry Chapel, a 300 year old church is plagued by vandals. The historic building has suffered over $50,000 in damages and priceless hand blown glass windows have been shattered. All across the country, old cemeteries, buildings and homes are being subject to this kind of mistreatment. Thanks to the immature and disrespectful, places such as Bachelor’s Grove, a historic cemetery in Illinois are now off-limits. A once quaint cemetery hidden in Rubio Woods Forest Preserve had been nearly destroyed by vandals. Headstones have been smashed, moved and defaced, alcohol containers and other trash littered the site, and graves have been desecrated.
While many paranormal researchers work hard to bring credibility to the field, this type of criminal behavior continues to bring a bad name to ghost hunters. Some paranormal groups are now working to restore these historic sites; however the damage has been done in more ways than one. Not only are beautiful and historic locations defaced beyond repair, but many owners of these properties are now forced to take a zero tolerance approach when it comes to paranormal researchers.
As Jason Sullivan, founder of Midwest Haunts and creator of the popular Ghost Hunting 101 series, says in his video Respecting the Paranormal. “Ask permission, and if the owner wants nothing to do with you, then I’m sorry- you need to walk away.” Great advice, Jason! And here’s one more suggestion, while you are walking away, why not stop and pick up the empty beer can littering the area and throw it away?
The video series Ghost Hunting 101 can be found on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/ghosthunting101 and YouTube, and is a must see for anyone interested in becoming a ghost hunter.
Friday, July 10, 2009
4 Ill. cemetery workers accused in grisly plot
A close friend of the groups pointed me in the direction of a horrific news story! This story makes me sick and makes my skin crawl! How can or why the hell would someone do such a thing!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALSIP, Ill. — Three gravediggers and a cemetery manager unearthed hundreds of corpses from a historic black cemetery south of Chicago, dumping some in a weeded area and double-stacking others in existing graves, in an elaborate scheme to resell the plots, authorities said Thursday. All four were charged with felonies.
Frantic relatives of the deceased descended on Burr Oak Cemetery — the final resting place of lynching victim Emmett Till and blues singers Willie Dixon and Dinah Washington — in hopes someone could tell them their loved ones' remains were not among the pile of bones that littered a remote area of the property in Alsip, 12 miles south of Chicago.
Some found apparently undisturbed plots, but others wandered, unable to locate loved ones.
"This is a mess. We can't find our people," said Ralph Gunn, 54, of Chicago, who filled out a report for authorities after a futile search for the headstones of his brother and nephew.
Others cried and clutched cemetery maps as they waited for a chance to look themselves. They listened as Sheriff Tom Dart said the displacement of bodies "was not done in a very delicate way," and that remains were dumped haphazardly, littered with shards of coffins. For graves stacked on top of each other, Dart said it appears they "pounded the other one down and put someone on top."
A visibly shaken Rev. Jesse Jackson voiced the mounting anger at those who would toss the bones of the dead like trash.
"In my judgment, there should be no bail for them, there should be really a special place in hell for these graveyard thieves who have done so much, hurt these families," he said.
By late afternoon, orange flags marking grave sites that might have been disturbed could be seen throughout the 150-acre cemetery, where as many as 1,000 burials are held a year. Officials took phone numbers and told family members they would call within 72 hours. Dart said FBI agents would help sort through evidence and identify bodies and that it could be months before investigators fully understand what took place.
"I feel betrayed and violated," said Gregory Mannie, 54, a Chicagoan with four relatives buried at Burr Oak. Mannie was particularly worried about his grandmother, whose grave is in a more secluded area he did not visit as often as the others. He grew suspicious when he saw it Thursday — it seemed too clean.
"It's almost like killing them all over again," Mannie said.
The suspects, all of whom are black, were identified as Carolyn Towns, 49, Keith Nicks, 45, and Terrence Nicks, 39 — all of Chicago — and Maurice Dailey, 61, of Robbins. They each have been charged with one count of dismembering a human body, a felony.
Bond was set at $250,000 for Towns, the cemetery's manager, and at $200,000 for the other three.
Authorities said Towns also pocketed donations she elicited for an Emmett Till memorial museum. She has not been charged in connection with those allegations. Court documents show she was fired from the cemetery in late May amid allegations of financial wrongdoing.
Cook County state's attorney's office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said Towns is being represented by a private attorney, but Simonton did not know the attorney's name. The Cook County public defender's office said it had not yet assigned attorneys to the other three cases.
The investigation was prompted in May, when a groundskeeper discovered skeletal remains in the part of the cemetery that wasn't supposed to be used, and cemetery officials notified Alsip police. Around the same time, the cemetery's Arizona-based owner, Perpetua Inc., called Cook County authorities to report the alleged financial wrongdoing.
Towns allegedly took cash for new graves, then instructed the three gravediggers to empty existing plots and move the remains inside to an unused part of the cemetery covered with chest-high grass and dotted with trees.
Perpetua Inc., said in a statement Thursday that the company is cooperating with investigators.
"We will make every attempt to insure and maintain the dignity of those that have been entrusted to our care," the company said.
It's the second time in recent years that Burr Oak has been at the center of an investigation. In 2005, the body of the 14-year-old Till, whose slaying in 1955 in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman helped galvanize the civil rights movement, was exhumed as part of a reopened investigation of his death.
Dart said Till's grave was not disturbed in the alleged plot-selling scheme, but he did not have information about the graves of Washington and others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALSIP, Ill. — Three gravediggers and a cemetery manager unearthed hundreds of corpses from a historic black cemetery south of Chicago, dumping some in a weeded area and double-stacking others in existing graves, in an elaborate scheme to resell the plots, authorities said Thursday. All four were charged with felonies.
Frantic relatives of the deceased descended on Burr Oak Cemetery — the final resting place of lynching victim Emmett Till and blues singers Willie Dixon and Dinah Washington — in hopes someone could tell them their loved ones' remains were not among the pile of bones that littered a remote area of the property in Alsip, 12 miles south of Chicago.
Some found apparently undisturbed plots, but others wandered, unable to locate loved ones.
"This is a mess. We can't find our people," said Ralph Gunn, 54, of Chicago, who filled out a report for authorities after a futile search for the headstones of his brother and nephew.
Others cried and clutched cemetery maps as they waited for a chance to look themselves. They listened as Sheriff Tom Dart said the displacement of bodies "was not done in a very delicate way," and that remains were dumped haphazardly, littered with shards of coffins. For graves stacked on top of each other, Dart said it appears they "pounded the other one down and put someone on top."
A visibly shaken Rev. Jesse Jackson voiced the mounting anger at those who would toss the bones of the dead like trash.
"In my judgment, there should be no bail for them, there should be really a special place in hell for these graveyard thieves who have done so much, hurt these families," he said.
By late afternoon, orange flags marking grave sites that might have been disturbed could be seen throughout the 150-acre cemetery, where as many as 1,000 burials are held a year. Officials took phone numbers and told family members they would call within 72 hours. Dart said FBI agents would help sort through evidence and identify bodies and that it could be months before investigators fully understand what took place.
"I feel betrayed and violated," said Gregory Mannie, 54, a Chicagoan with four relatives buried at Burr Oak. Mannie was particularly worried about his grandmother, whose grave is in a more secluded area he did not visit as often as the others. He grew suspicious when he saw it Thursday — it seemed too clean.
"It's almost like killing them all over again," Mannie said.
The suspects, all of whom are black, were identified as Carolyn Towns, 49, Keith Nicks, 45, and Terrence Nicks, 39 — all of Chicago — and Maurice Dailey, 61, of Robbins. They each have been charged with one count of dismembering a human body, a felony.
Bond was set at $250,000 for Towns, the cemetery's manager, and at $200,000 for the other three.
Authorities said Towns also pocketed donations she elicited for an Emmett Till memorial museum. She has not been charged in connection with those allegations. Court documents show she was fired from the cemetery in late May amid allegations of financial wrongdoing.
Cook County state's attorney's office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said Towns is being represented by a private attorney, but Simonton did not know the attorney's name. The Cook County public defender's office said it had not yet assigned attorneys to the other three cases.
The investigation was prompted in May, when a groundskeeper discovered skeletal remains in the part of the cemetery that wasn't supposed to be used, and cemetery officials notified Alsip police. Around the same time, the cemetery's Arizona-based owner, Perpetua Inc., called Cook County authorities to report the alleged financial wrongdoing.
Towns allegedly took cash for new graves, then instructed the three gravediggers to empty existing plots and move the remains inside to an unused part of the cemetery covered with chest-high grass and dotted with trees.
Perpetua Inc., said in a statement Thursday that the company is cooperating with investigators.
"We will make every attempt to insure and maintain the dignity of those that have been entrusted to our care," the company said.
It's the second time in recent years that Burr Oak has been at the center of an investigation. In 2005, the body of the 14-year-old Till, whose slaying in 1955 in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman helped galvanize the civil rights movement, was exhumed as part of a reopened investigation of his death.
Dart said Till's grave was not disturbed in the alleged plot-selling scheme, but he did not have information about the graves of Washington and others.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Tuesday 7/7/09 Investigations
Well, as many of you know Tuesday night (7/7/09) was a full moon and lunar eclipse. So our team decided to get together an head out to investigate several places inside an around Morgan Monroe State Forestry. Our first stop was a unknown location of a cemetery deep in the forest called Gose Creek Cemetery. It is said on the stone it was established in the 1800's. This cemetery seemed to be somewhat well kept, burials were as recent as 2003, hidden down an old logging road.
Our second stop was at an unkown named cemetery, with a total of 4 headstones showing, completey unkept, and forgotten about. Only way we knew it was a cemetery was walking up throw tall grass and weeds was a tall monument headstone.
As the night went on, we tried really hard to locate several others that we were unable to locate. They were thought to of been moved to a different location. We then perceded to go to Stepp Cemetery were we started our evenings investigations.
Stepp Cemetery seemed quiet calm this night, unlike other nights and even days we have ventured there. One disturbing find was a freshly dug grave by a headstone with the name Walls on it. Thinking this was a new grave that was set, our Case Manager Tony spoke with the Rangers and there have not been any new graves since the Professor of IU was layed to rest in 2002. So our group is up in arms and trying to find the truth behind this disturbing find. ((Stay tuned for updates on this matter)) We did however come across a few photos that were taken that again, came up red. These red photos had the simular 2 red cirlces over lapping each other with a red glow around them.
As we ended our night, we ventured to Pleasant View Cemetery located just outside of the Forestry to the south. This again was a very calm night, excpet a few other photo's turned out being red.
Log into our website to see findings of that evening. ((Coming soon!!))
http://www.southindyparanormalinvestigators.org
~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~
7/10/09
After doing more research on this new grave that was put in, it was Margaret Walls. She passed away May 12, 2009 at the age of 89. Our group is in the process of contacting the funeral home who was in charge of placing her at Stepp Cemetery. They did a piss poor job!
Our second stop was at an unkown named cemetery, with a total of 4 headstones showing, completey unkept, and forgotten about. Only way we knew it was a cemetery was walking up throw tall grass and weeds was a tall monument headstone.
As the night went on, we tried really hard to locate several others that we were unable to locate. They were thought to of been moved to a different location. We then perceded to go to Stepp Cemetery were we started our evenings investigations.
Stepp Cemetery seemed quiet calm this night, unlike other nights and even days we have ventured there. One disturbing find was a freshly dug grave by a headstone with the name Walls on it. Thinking this was a new grave that was set, our Case Manager Tony spoke with the Rangers and there have not been any new graves since the Professor of IU was layed to rest in 2002. So our group is up in arms and trying to find the truth behind this disturbing find. ((Stay tuned for updates on this matter)) We did however come across a few photos that were taken that again, came up red. These red photos had the simular 2 red cirlces over lapping each other with a red glow around them.
As we ended our night, we ventured to Pleasant View Cemetery located just outside of the Forestry to the south. This again was a very calm night, excpet a few other photo's turned out being red.
Log into our website to see findings of that evening. ((Coming soon!!))
http://www.southindyparanormalinvestigators.org
~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~
7/10/09
After doing more research on this new grave that was put in, it was Margaret Walls. She passed away May 12, 2009 at the age of 89. Our group is in the process of contacting the funeral home who was in charge of placing her at Stepp Cemetery. They did a piss poor job!
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