Since my post last week about the Whiskeyville cemetery and the relocation of the remains of the persons buried there, I've unearthed a few more articles about it.
First up is this article by Blanche M. Jenne from the Lorain Journal of May 1, 1931, that describes a giant elm that towered over the cemetery.
"In the tiny cemetery at Whiskeyville, in the rear of the famous Whiskeyville Tavern, Telegraph and Leavitt roads, stands a huge elm tree," it notes. "It has been standing there for over a century now but the peculiar thing about this tree is that it seems to have a grave stone coming out of its base."
The article goes on to tell the story of little Lucia Smith, as it is her marker that is enveloped by the tree. "There was no tree when Lucia Smith was buried, the great elm of today springing up from a seed dropped near the base of the marker.
"The tree to passersby looks as if it had almost unearthed the stone, but the stone seems intact, tho the roots have almost enveloped its base."
Blanche M. Jenne returned to the cemetery twenty years later and wrote this fascinating follow-up story that appeared in the December 13, 1951 Lorain Journal. She interviews the caretakers of the cemetery, Mr. and Mrs. Orville Kay (who lived next door) and even provides a photo of the marker of Lucia Smith and the elm in which it is partially encased.
5 comments:
If you compare the old aerial view to the current google maps view, it really doesn't appear that the widened road would have encroached the cemetery. I suppose it would have been a little strange to have a cemetery right up against a roadway though. Most of those old buildings are still there in the Google map, but in reality, they were mostly all tore down in the last ten years.
A *wonderful* post, Dan. Thanks!
My sweetheart and I have visited every cemetery in Lorain County and many cemeteries in surrounding counties and there are plenty right up against 2-lane roads. 4-lanes... I don't recall any of those.
I think modern researchers lack appreciation for the "old days" when we had to get out and look at the real world instead of typing a few search terms words into already organized databases. Finding a grave, or a marriage certificate, or an old map used to take skill and time. Now, not so much. Not sure if I miss it, or not.
Another excellent article, Dan. I much enjoyed reading it.
Don, have you visited the West View cemetery on Columbia East River Rd? It can't be seen from the road as it is in the woods across the fairway of the former golf course that was there. It has deteriorated a lot since I first looked for my ancestors there in the 1980s. The historical society has cleared it and built a nice arched entrance, though. It really needs to have the stones restored.
DENNIS! Yes, we've been there. We had to locate it on googlemaps before we could find it behind what is now a veterinary clinic. We drove right up to it, in fact. It is in bad shape, not as bad as others we've seen in our travels. It could absorb a ton of work but at least it has a small group watching over it.
For those interested: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fi73EJQCDkKTCLK38
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