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Rumbarger Cemetery


Ignatius

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My great grandparents are there, but they haven't let me know, from the other side, if they are concerned about their graves...Some things just don't matter.   It does matter. The freaking cemetary sits right on MAIN ST and needs upkeep.   Laziness on the part of relatives that actually have kin there. I would be embarrassed to even admit I have relatives there. and sit by and do nothing about it.

 

Maybe hundred plus years old graves are important to YOU....That is why tombstones are made of granite....The aren't going away. I know where to find them, but I'm not going to use my energy for sentimental work to please you, or anyone else. I'll save my efforts for the living, and minimal efforts for the more recently departed. I have probably a hundred relatives buried around the area, most will have to rest in peace, on their own..That's the facts of life, or death if you prefer...So feel free to call me lazy, if that makes you feel so noble..Many of the posts on GoDubois, not only this one, it has to be realized, are made to feed the ego of the poster, and bear little reality to any real action.  If you have time and energy to clear brush at cemeteries, by all means, do so...

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Tombstone DO go away, even ones made of granite.  It's kinda sad to go into a cemetery and not be able to see the inscription of who is buried there.  Even worse, see the stones in such bad shape that there is nothing that can be done to save them.  There are little cemeteries that are much older out in the middle of BFE that are better cared for, if only for the hard work of one or two individuals.  

 

Foxfan, I certainly understand where you're coming from and I don't think you're being lazy.  It is not your responsibility.  Someone was asking, that's all.  There are people who sit around all day complaining that there's nothing in this area to keep them occupied.  "There's never anything to do".  These are the people that need to step up and find something that they can do, and feel good about doing.

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Foxfan - I don't think it is about being noble or not. It is just shocking to hear that someone doesn't care about the condition of a loved one's grave site. Most people think differently about respecting the dead - no matter how far back in their ancestry.

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Foxfan - I don't think it is about being noble or not. It is just shocking to hear that someone doesn't care about the condition of a loved one's grave site. Most people think differently about respecting the dead - no matter how far back in their ancestry.

I never met my great grandparents, so I can't really include them in my roster of 'loved ones'...and they never knew of my existence, since I hadn't arrived on the scene during their short alloted time on earth. Now let me go and cut the grass in my yard, so my living relatives don't think I moved to Tahiti to be a beach bum....

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I'm sure your great-grandparents would be proud to know that you have no love for them.  They are the reason you're here, whether you knew them or not.   Volunteering to help the living is important but so is caring for the dead.  Sure, we can let the grass, trees, poison ivy and blackberry bushes grow.  It would make it a great home for assorted wildlife; skunks, groundhogs, raccoons and rats.  But what does that say about the community of DuBois.  It was a beautiful, mismanaged cemetery that can be maintained and improved with help.  Volunteerism is it's own reward.

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I like how "caring for your community" changed to "turning on a person in your community" in a heartbeat.  

I think it is just the years of frustration coming out. Many people -like me - have no one buried in that site and are left to wonder "where are the families of these people?"  Yet on here, we hear that at least one doesn't care. That is sad.

And these same families expect others to do things? I would rather believe that the families of these people are gone, out of the area or all dead, too, than to know they are doing nothing to help.

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I'm sure your great-grandparents would be proud to know that you have no love for them.  They are the reason you're here, whether you knew them or not.   Volunteering to help the living is important but so is caring for the dead.  Sure, we can let the grass, trees, poison ivy and blackberry bushes grow.  It would make it a great home for assorted wildlife; skunks, groundhogs, raccoons and rats.  But what does that say about the community of DuBois.  It was a beautiful, mismanaged cemetery that can be maintained and improved with help.  Volunteerism is it's own reward.

You forgot snakes....You're making it sound like Disney's Wild Kingdom....If I devoted maybe 4 days a week, I could hit all the cemeteries in the area, where I have relatives buried. But, you're just trying to make me feel bad...Ain't workin....P.S. It was in about the same condition 60 years ago, so at least it isn't getting much worse..

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Back to the real point of this thread will anyone volunteer on the 9th to help for a godubois day clean-up or not? The local history teachers should think about having their classes help out and the kids could get their required community service done plus the cemetary would benefit. I know school is out now but, even for some future history class projects, upkeep and preserving of the cemetary could be part of it. In the meantime those willing to volunteer hopefully will come on the 9th. Foxfans comments are just the type of noncaring attitude that got this cemetary  in the mess it is today. All I can say to these comments is what goes around comes around, hope foxfan has a plot ready with a  cemetary caretaker already in place,or maybe even snakes and foxes will invade the plot when you are buried there and your living relatives won't care enough to clean it up, cause "it dosen't matter" right?

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Back to the real point of this thread will anyone volunteer on the 9th to help for a godubois day clean-up or not? The local history teachers should think about having their classes help out and the kids could get their required community service done plus the cemetary would benefit. I know school is out now but, even for some future history class projects, upkeep and preserving of the cemetary could be part of it. In the meantime those willing to volunteer hopefully will come on the 9th. Foxfans comments are just the type of noncaring attitude that got this cemetary  in the mess it is today. All I can say to these comments is what goes around comes around, hope foxfan has a plot ready with a  cemetary caretaker already in place,or maybe even snakes and foxes will invade the plot when you are buried there and your living relatives won't care enough to clean it up, cause "it dosen't matter" right?

I reserve the right to have different priorities than you. I don't see why that bothers you so much...The fact that I voiced it? You go and do what you feel compelled to do, and don't fret and anguish about what I, or other people do, or don't do....A few posters here get bent out of shape when someone volunteers anything that they don't agree with...I'm speaking for myself. I don't care if you work on the cemetery, or not. If anyone shows up to help you, great. "It doesn't matter to me"?....Right...Get over it....

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I know nothing of this particular cemetery, nor do I know anything about how any other cemetery works. Aren't they supposed to be kept up like the one coming into town from TL? I see the lawn being cut there all the time.

 

Like I said, I haven't had to deal with cemeteries yet so maybe there are different kinds that do not do the up keep. All the ones that I have been to where my grandparents and great-grandparents have been buried, are kept up by the workers.

 

What do you guys expect Foxfan to do? Just weed and cut the grass around his great-grandparents two graves?  :-/

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This is not the only cememtary that is not being taken care of. Reynoldsville Cememtary named after the town as well was a disgrace at Memorial Day. The grass had not been done at all. A fee is taken when you are buried there for perpetual care, this is a disgrace that these cemetaries are not being cared for.

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Actually, Rumbarger was started as a private Cemetery and when the owners "left" guess what? All the money was gone too which means we were / are left with nothing for perpetual care ! Guess that is why current Pennsylvania Cemetery Law requires a Cemetery that is going to sell lots ( remember, older cemeteries are not grandfathered into this ) to have $250,000 in escrow for perpetual care. One of the reasons we will not be selling lots in Rumbarger! So much to talk about! TO, the Main St. wall is on the agenda but even the drawings take money... not making excuses though. Want to widen the entrance which I'm sure will involve Penndot. If we excavate behind the current wall, are there people buried there? Lots of questions to answer. I'm sure projects like that will generate a ton of interest and support but we need to take care of what is there while we are working on them.

 

Leaving for vacation today but hope to see a long lost of GoDuBois'ers signed up for the work day when I get back! Thanks!

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I know nothing of this particular cemetery, nor do I know anything about how any other cemetery works. Aren't they supposed to be kept up like the one coming into town from TL? I see the lawn being cut there all the time.

 

Like I said, I haven't had to deal with cemeteries yet so maybe there are different kinds that do not do the up keep. All the ones that I have been to where my grandparents and great-grandparents have been buried, are kept up by the workers.

 

What do you guys expect Foxfan to do? Just weed and cut the grass around his great-grandparents two graves?  :-/ [/quote

 

Yes, it would be great if current descendants would care for their families two or three plots (Although I know that's not for everyone). Imagine if 100 people did that! We could have 300 of the current lots cared for which would leave that much less for the other volunteers.

That is the idea behind our "Adopt-a-grave". care for a grave, two, three, a section, whatever you can, even if you have no family ties to the person

 

Morningside was set up in the early 20's due in part to the way Rumbarger had run down. A group of forward thinking men set up a perpetual care account, made it non-profit so no one could "run" with the money and the current Morningsidede Cemetery is what we have!

 

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Saturday, July 9th - what time & where do we park?

Saturday, 9am, park in the Home Health parking lot in the back of the Cemetery. can get there by going thru the Hospital lot or turning off Main St. onto Spring Ave. then Left on Wood St. and left onto Patterson Ave. Can use mowers, weed eaters, rakes, shovels, chain saws, etc.... Thanks!

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I know nothing of this particular cemetery, nor do I know anything about how any other cemetery works. Aren't they supposed to be kept up like the one coming into town from TL? I see the lawn being cut there all the time.

 

Like I said, I haven't had to deal with cemeteries yet so maybe there are different kinds that do not do the up keep. All the ones that I have been to where my grandparents and great-grandparents have been buried, are kept up by the workers.

 

What do you guys expect Foxfan to do? Just weed and cut the grass around his great-grandparents two graves?  :-/

You are refering to Morningside Cemetery. It is a beautifully kept and maintained cemetery. I don't know the details of the fund that makes it possible, but I am sure individuals could not do it by voluntary efforts alone...It is maintained by a  source that is secure for the operation of the cemetery, through investing the money, and careful spending by the trustees. Unlike more "modern" cemeteries, such as Lakelawn near Reynoldsville, monuments and headstones, are of course, the norm. This complicates the grass cutting and maintenance. Lakelawn doesn't permit markers that are above the grass height, which of course, makes cutting easy. We have many well tended cemeteries, such as Salem Cemetery, Beechwoods Cemetery, just to name a few..But Morningside, in my opinion, is the best example of a professionally maintained facility...

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Morningside is what we would like all our cemeteries to look like.  They were well organized from the time it began in 1925 as a result of the way Rumbarger was run.  The credit goes to Frank, who has supervised Morningside for about 40 years, and his great crew.  However, Rumbarger will never look like Morningside.  The rows aren't even and for some reason they put walls all over the cemetery.  It was probably very attractive in it's early days but much of the work is hand mowing and trimming which takes a lot of time.

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Morningside is what we would like all our cemeteries to look like.  They were well organized from the time it began in 1925 as a result of the way Rumbarger was run.  The credit goes to Frank, who has supervised Morningside for about 40 years, and his great crew.  However, Rumbarger will never look like Morningside.  The rows aren't even and for some reason they put walls all over the cemetery.  It was probably very attractive in it's early days but much of the work is hand mowing and trimming which takes a lot of time.

Maybe with some donations, they could replace some areas with other materials that would require less maintenance.

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Maybe with some donations, they could replace some areas with other materials that would require less maintenance.

Can't wait till I see what this cemetery really looks like as I never imagined it was eight acres.  Only thought it was just a small old cemetery along the highway.   Walls?  Wondering how big/long?   Will be very interesting to look @ the old tombstones, too.  I always find myself imagining life back then.

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Every family who has a relative buried there should be contributing something to the upkeep.  An annual letter reporting ptogress and requesting support should be sent out.  We give the guy who mows our family cemetery a donation whenever we see him.  Everyone keeps up their own flowers.

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Can't wait till I see what this cemetery really looks like as I never imagined it was eight acres.  Only thought it was just a small old cemetery along the highway.   Walls?  Wondering how big/long?   Will be very interesting to look @ the old tombstones, too.  I always find myself imagining life back then.

Check out www.findagrave.com, type in Rumberger in the search block and see all the stones

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Every family who has a relative buried there should be contributing something to the upkeep.  An annual letter reporting ptogress and requesting support should be sent out.  We give the guy who mows our family cemetery a donation whenever we see him.  Everyone keeps up their own flowers.

Which, of course, brings us back around full circle to my origional post...With a cemetery this old, how many decendents are still around, and how far removed are they from the origional grave occupants? And how many are willing to donate money and labor to such an effort.. My guess....Zero to None...Expectations for anything more is wishful thinking..The 60+ year old dilemma concerning the cemetery is proof of that...

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