Letter to the Governors
Chris Feistner
Villisca Cemetery Commission Chair
P. O. Box 71
Villisca, Iowa 50864
712-826-2440
(Governor’s Name)
(Governor’s Address)
(City, State ZIP)
Dear Governor (Name):
* Cattle trample tombstones and graves in Iowa cemeteries!
* An Indiana cemetery is legally bulldozed under—bodies and all!
* Statues stolen from Texas and Louisiana cemeteries end up for sale in California and Mexico!
I wish to take a few moments of your busy schedule to tell you about these and other serious problems that are plaguing the citizens of the United States. These problems concern cemeteries and how unfortunately many are being treated in today’s world. I have sent letters like this one to each of the governors of the 50 U.S. states in an effort to help states become aware of local as well as nation wide problems regarding cemeteries.
In the past three years my family and I have fought to preserve and restore a family cemetery in Adams County, Iowa. We are still fighting, but this fight has lead to other links in a very large chain of problems that seem at first to be unbeatable, but in reality only take cooperation, compassion, and understanding to break their grip on all of our pioneer ancestors.
After you have read this letter, I would very much appreciate it if you would talk to the personnel of your State Archaeology, History, Attorney General, Genealogy, and State Police departments to help you gain a better picture of events that may even now be happening in your state. Cemeteries are sometimes put at the bottom of “need” lists because they do not garner taxes. This is unfortunate because they are a treasure trove of information about our national history, its people, and their development.
Problem #1
Recently I had the opportunity to speak with a gentleman from Texas. During the conversation, he spoke of cemetery items that are being sold on an INTERNATIONAL black market. Many of these items are being packed and shipped overseas to art and antique dealers and for personal collections. Shortly after I spoke with him, two different people from Missouri corroborated his story. From these three conversations I wish to tell you that drug and gun traffickers and thieves are walking into cemeteries and walking out with stones, angels, wrought iron gates, and many other items that can be sold for many thousands of dollars each. This has become the new currency for many and the heartbreak for many more. With each theft valuable information, artwork, history and genealogy just walked out the door.
We know thefts are happening because police raids in several states have turned up cemetery items. Some are being found as cars and trucks are stopped on our nation’s highways for various crimes. These items are much harder to track than cars or trucks and may not be missed for months, as few country cemeteries have caretakers and may northern cemeteries are seldom visited during the winter months.
Here may be some constructive solutions or ideas for discussion:
1. The visual documentation of cemeteries and cemetery items. This could be handled by local officials and cemetery groups to give authorities some idea of what the stolen merchandise looked like. Many individuals and groups are using video cameras to inventory cemeteries.
2. Monetary values need to be placed on stolen items as they are logged individually, instead of the usual practice of grouping all recovered cemetery items into a “miscellaneous” category. These groups have no real value monetarily, nor do they allow law enforcement groups or others to statistically report how many of these items are stolen during a given period, which would create a clearer picture of how big or small the black market and theft is in a given area. I have spoken with several people that would like to see some type of national standard of monetary value placed on cemetery items, similar to other valuables. This would help law enforcement officials make felony charges “stick” better, as these items could be logged properly along with their dollar amount. Great Britain is already working on something similar to this.
3. All involved parties need to be prosecuted, including art or antique dealers who knowingly purchase stolen funerary items—a rare occurrence when dealing with cemeteries.
4. Federal officials need to be alerted to items being transferred out of state illegally, with possible overseas destinations. By tracking these goods, we could then find out who is behind the theft of the stolen goods. We may be surprised to learn who is buying the items and where their journey has taken them.
Problem #2
Many cemeteries across the United States are being blockaded by local “old-fashioned” politics. Map books, logs, and other informational sources at the county level disappear mysteriously when researchers attempt to look up information. I was under the mistaken impression I was the only one experiencing this problem. After asking many others the same question during various meetings or over the phone, the same answer has come back time after time. There are many counties that do everything in their power to obtain the desired information. Unfortunately, there are many more that hide and block information, keeping researchers and preservationists from asking questions which Boards of Supervisors and Township Trustees do not want asked. Why? What are they hiding or trying to hide that needs to be kept from view? County officials are also unethically or illegally blocking many of us. They feel they have the law on their side. One county attorney personally informed me that no matter what the Governor [of Iowa] or Legislature passed, he and the Board of Supervisors did not have to follow those laws—they were the supreme law in their county!
Here may be some constructive solutions or ideas for discussion:
1. Boards of Supervisors, county attorneys, and Township Trustees should be made aware of the fact that the State regulates cemeteries and all laws concerning them. They should also be informed that they possess informational texts and maps that are open to the public and cannot be hidden, removed or even destroyed. These books and the information they contain are still protected under the Freedom of Information Act.
2. Cemeteries need FULL public access. Many counties refuse to put in legally mandated access roads or to maintain them. By ignoring the public’s pleas for access or help in maintaining cemeteries, County Boards can focus on other issues. With each passing day, another cemetery dies, disappearing forever. This type of attitude is destroying our common bonds of history, creating large gaps in the American fabric of life.
3. When land is sold to real estate developers, counties need to stress seriously the presence of a cemetery or burial site. Developers, for a few extra car spaces or frontage to their property, are destroying many cemeteries. I realize not all burial sites can be saved, as some will have to be moved, but with good engineering and thought these sites can be added bonuses to an otherwise barren tract of land. They also help save some rare plants and animals from extinction.
I will not take up any more of your time. This is but a small sample of what the good people of your state who fight these problems face. I ask you again to look at your laws and see if they are strong enough to take on some of these problems or if they need to be strengthened. Also ask those on the “front lines” where the real problems lie or if they are even being addressed. If you are unfamiliar with cemeteries, you may be surprised at how much has been accomplished by dedicated people and groups in your state. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Chris Feistner
Chair, Villisca, Iowa Cemetery Commission
