Weekend Visit, 08/01/04, Impressions

Written by John Ellingsworth

Wednesday, 07 July 2004

Hi all. I wanted to reply to some of the questions posted recently, but I have been pretty busy. I went to the cemetery on Saturday to shoot some video for our documentary on MM. There were several funerals planned for the day, as the men with the backhoe were driving to and fro, prepping for burial. It was a very nice day, kind of hot, definitely humid. I couldn't help but notice how much the birds are THRIVING there, which makes it a little more pleasant. I concluded from my visit that the cemetery only cleans those areas which have space for more burials and within which a new buril will be taking place. There is no other explanation. The Yeadon side had several small areas mown in such a way as to ask, "Why did they skip this area?" Only when you looked around and saw the recent burial did it become obvious that that was the reason it was cut. Suffice it to say, the Yeadon side is in bad shape. It is cut at the entrance to it, but going back shows that it hasn't been cut since ... ? The Philadelphia side is as bad as ever. Everything atop and behind the hill east and west of the main road is overgrown so badly that only the small paths are accessible. These are also heavily overgrown. Most stones in the area are not visible. Considering the amount of rain we have gotten, it will only get worse. I shot some video of this area which I will make available later today or tomorrow. On Sunday morning Philadelphia was hit by a deluge of rain. We were scheduled to do some shooting but cancelled. I was informed that the cemetery was, in fact, flooded and that the Civil War section was underwater. I knew that it was close to Cobbs Creek, which is the creek that intersects the Phila and Yeadon side of the cemetery. So I drove to the cemetery, taking the entrance on Kingsessing. To say that my draw dropped is an understatement. The entire area near the Cobbs Creek gate was underwater. Hundreds of stones in that immediate area were underwater. Cobbs Creek was rushing through there with unbelievable force. At least half of all of the Civil war markers were COMPLETELY underwater. Based on the height of the sign near the entrance, I would say that the water was probably three feet above ground in that area. Normally, the creek does not come near the bank. I took some photos, wandered around, got soaked. The photos are on http://mountmoriahcemetery.org in the General gallery of the Images section. It was really sad to see plastic flowers floating away, others submerged but clinging to the ground they were set in. I walked through the water in some areas, almost up to my knees. I could see the stones underwater, and the term 'watery grave' would not leave my mind. In one area, a large hole had opened in the ground and water was being sucked down. I don't think it was a grave, as there was just too much water going down. It couldn't be going into the creek, as that was where it was coming from. Oddest thing I'd ever seen. (Video available later.) Of course, this area could not be saved by the staff of MM unless they were to move all of the graves. I did hear that they were no longer burying in this area due to the flooding, but that must be a very recent decision, as some of the stones I saw were laid in 2003. Let's hope there will be no more burials in this area. **** In other news, I was cc'ed on a letter sent to the staff at MM by Preservation PA, which I have written about previously ( http://mountmoriahcemetery.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=35&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 ). We have been put on the list! I will put the text of the letter up soon. Basically, this nomination will increase awareness on a national level, and more importantly, allow us to get a better shot at grant money. Thanks. john at mountmoriahcemetery dot org

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 November 2005 )

 

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