Tombstone Tuesday: Gravestone-Tipping. Really?

I stopped at a few cemeteries on my genealogical trip to Iowa.  It’s nice to get outside in the fresh air after spending the morning in a musty courthouse.

At the Halferty Cemetery in Keokuk county, I was able to find the gravestones of my great-great-great grandparents.  Their stones were worn, but in tact and still readable (I will post them on another day).

I was appalled at the fate  of the neighboring gravestones though.

After spending a couple of days in rural Iowa, I can imagine that it sometimes gets boring.  I had little to no cell phone coverage.  There wasn’t a Starbucks or a movie theater or a shopping mall in sight.  I get that.  Kids get bored and look for things to do.

I have heard of farm kids going “cow tipping” before, but have you ever heard of “gravestone tipping”?

I have to admit that I”m making some assumptions here.  I don’t know exactly what happened in this cemetery.  All I know is that it wasn’t Mother Nature that knocked these down.  And I’m assuming that it had to be some adolescent punks, because I can’t imagine anyone else doing this.

Many of the gravestones were pushed over, off of their bases, left in the grass.

undefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedThe funny thing is, the cemetery appears to be maintained.  The grass had been mowed sometime in the past couple of weeks.  There is a fence surrounding it.

How could someone do something like that? 🙁

I wasn’t sure what to do or who to complain to.  It isn’t a church or city cemetery. Even though it wasn’t my ancestors, I was still upset.

But I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t do anything.  I took my pictures and drove on to the next county to do some more research.

What would you have done?

Should I try to contact someone – perhaps the local genealogical or historical society?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Share on FacebookTweet this PostPin Images to PinterestBack to Top
F i n d   i t
B l o g r o l l
T a g s
B u t t o n