Abandoned graveyard

An abandoned Jewish graveyard
An abandoned church and cemetery

An abandoned graveyard, also known as an abandoned cemetery, is a graveyard that is no longer maintained.[1] Graveyards may be abandoned for various reasons.[2] Some reasons for abandonment of cemeteries include such phenomena as financial difficulty, natural disaster, unpleasant reputation and/or accessibility.[3]

Quantity

According to one source, it is claimed that there are thousands of abandoned graveyards in the United States.[2]

Identification

Locating and identifying individual graves in an abandoned cemetery may be hard due to lithophytes[a] overgrowing on the tombstone markings. In some cases, it may be difficult because the tombstones have been vandalized.[3]

Relocation

One way of restoring abandoned graveyards is to completely relocate them to such places as wildlife refuges, public parks or historic sites.[3] That means relocating both the tombstone and the coffin.[clarification needed] However, relocating graves is rather expensive; it can cost anywhere between $8,000 to $20,000, or in some cases even more.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Or in some cases lichens.

References

  1. ^ "Abandoned cemetery definition". lawinsider.com. Law Insider. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Crickmore, Katherine (2018). "Abandoned cemeteries: A guide to their identification & care". gateway.uncg.edu. University of North Carolina Greensboro. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "What Happens To Abandoned Cemeteries?". mentalitch.com. Mental Itch. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  4. ^ "How Much Does it Cost to Move a Grave?". memorials.com. Memorials. 4 August 2022. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

Further reading


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