[Louisiana Cemeteries] Colonial Cemetery - Site hit for 3rd time in 7 months
- From: Louisiana Cemeteries <louisianacemeteries@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Post RootsWeb <la-cemetery-preservation@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, Topica Louisiana Cemetery Preservation List <LACEMETERYPRESERVATION@xxxxxxxxxx>, louisianacemeteries@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:18:53 -0700 (PDT)
I was alerted to this story on Find A Grave forum, "Louisiana".
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/16884906.html
Site hit for 3rd time in 7 months
* By DEBRA LEMOINE
* Advocate Florida parishes bureau
* Published: Mar 21, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.
INDEPENDENCE — Vandals struck a historic Independence cemetery for the third
time in seven months this week, ripping off and smashing marble plates on 38
mausoleum vaults and spraying statues and mausoleum walls with blue paint.
A resident discovered the damage on Wednesday, which investigators think took
place late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, said Vincent Spitale,
president of the Colonial Cemetery Association.
A mausoleum company was working on estimates Thursday to repair the mausoleum
built either in the 1970s or 1980s, Spitale said. He thinks the damage would
amount to thousands of dollars.
Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s deputies are investigating the crime and have no
suspects at this time, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Blair Foster said.
Foster said that deputies don’t know if the recent vandalism is related to the
two incidents that occurred last year.
In September, a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were arrested for the two
strikes on the cemetery in August in which vandals damaged 75 to 100 tombs in
a section of the cemetery dating from the 1920s and 1960s.
The latest strike comes as the cemetery anticipates more visitors with the
approach of Easter Sunday.
On Thursday, residents surveyed the damaged mausoleum, staring at the cracked
marble on the ground in front of vaults covered with plywood. Four-letter words
were painted along some walls as well as a pentagram with the word “devils”
underneath.
Statues of St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary also were defaced by swirls of blue
paint.
Mary Macaluso Heins clutched an empty vase as she stared at the broken marble
that once marked her sister’s and brother-in-law’s vault..
Heins, 91, of Independence, is the last survivor among her six siblings, she
said.
“That’s disgusting,” she said. “I don’t know how anyone could do anything like
that.”
The 20-acre cemetery is one of the oldest in the Independence area of
Tangipahoa Parish with graves dating to the late 1800s. Many of the names
carved into markers are those of the Italian families that settled the area in
the early 20th century.
The non-profit cemetery association exists to sell plots, and upkeep of graves
is the responsibility of surviving family members, Spitale said.
The association collected $3,000 in donations for the summer vandalism at the
Colonial Cemetery Vandalism account at Hancock Bank, Spitale said. He did not
know yet if the association would open another account, but said anyone wishing
to donate to offset repair costs could use the older account.
The Sheriff’s Office is offering $1,000 for information leading to the arrest
of these vandals, Foster said. Anyone with information is asked to call
Detective Ray Lentz at (985) 748-8147.
Dedication for unknown soldiers' graves Saturday
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080325/NEWS01/803250330/1060/NEWS01
March 25, 2008
IF YOU GO
The dedication ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Minden Cemetery, located on
Bayou Avenue off of Pine Street, will include a living history presentation. It
is open to the public.
From Staff Reports
MINDEN — In the back right corner of the old section of the Minden Cemetery are
the graves of more than 20 unknown Civil War Confederate soldiers.
This hallowed ground of 144 years has never been forgotten. Even though the
soldiers names may be lost forever to the future, their lives are remembered
for their bravery and valor in April 1864, said Schelley Brown, organizer of a
dedication ceremony set for 1 p.m. Saturday.
Sons of the Confederacy Camp members from El Dorado, Shreveport, Claiborne,
Ruston, Farmerville and West Monroe are expected to participate, along with
local members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
"This will be a wonderful time to show children what history a cemetery holds
and how important remembering the past is for our future," Brown said.
The soldiers more than likely were from the Walker Texas Division and General
Polinac's Division of Louisiana. During the bloody and furious battles of
Mansfield and Pleasant Hill these men were wounded and brought to Minden to be
treated for their wounds. Both of these divisions had been in Minden before,
having wintered in or near Minden in 1864.
"Like so many Civil War soldiers many were lost and never heard from again.
They are somewhere across these U.S. buried in unmarked graves or left to
scatter to the wind over 144 years ago.
"Many a loved one would only hope that their dear departed would have been laid
to rest with the respect that the long plot in the Minden Cemetery represents,"
she said.
The soldiers' remains are in what has become known as the "Civil War Trench.."
It is estimated that between 20 to 30 bodies lie buried along this concrete
line.
One, Pvt. Thomas L. Anderson, was identified a few years ago by his family
through genealogy research. He has a marker; the rest do not, Brown said.
In 2007, the T.M. Scott Camp of Minden's Son's of Confederate Veterans,
representing direct descendants of Civil War Confederate veterans, contacted
Brown through spokesman Barry Watson with a request to erect markers for the
unknown soldiers.
The 21 stones were delivered earlier this year and volunteers representing Camp
members from Minden, Claiborne Parish and El Dorado, Ark., came together a few
weeks ago to install them.
Said Brown: "Having worked with the Sons of the Confederacy and the Daughters
of the Confederacy on several occasion(s) during the annual Minden Cemetery
Ghost Walk, I was thrilled that they were taking this project under their wing.
I think this is a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and
remember these soldiers in a historic manner. "After 144 years, these men
finally have a headstone to show that they are there."
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