An Ongoing Funeral in Lancaster

Wha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-at?   Yes, I attended an ongoing Funeral on Friday evening in the heart of Lancaster! There was a Hearse (one of those old fancy ones!) with a casket in it . . . that makes it a funeral, doesn’t it? Of course, I don’t know who (or what) was in that casket . . .I think this was just a small “Family Cemetery” since I couldn’t find a name anywhere and I did check Find A Grave, to no avail!. . . and right in the middle of the preparations, a train went whizzing by. Stopped those gravediggers and their backhoe momentarily, but the people didn’t seem to mind. It was as though they were just standing there in shock.

I bet I didn’t fool you, though! I bet you figured me out!

Last Friday night was “First Friday” in Lancaster. Amanda and I went out to see a couple of sights and have a bite to eat and were going to finish up the evening at LancasterHistory.Org for their first appearance “on the circuit,” so to speak. We, however, got side-tracked by a Model Railroad exhibit on the 2nd floor of the Citizens Bank building, right next door to the Historical Society, and we weren’t disappointed! Neither were a lot of little children, who just couldn’t move and stood there with their mouths wide open! It was wonderful – the display and the reaction of the children!

I know it’s been there several years and find it surprising that there is very little mention of it on the internet. It is free to the public and operates on donations. I was delighted to have a chance to donate so children (and adults like me!) can enjoy what these men and women seem to enjoy sharing with the community!

If you happen to be in the Penn Square area of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, be sure to stop by and see it! It is truly a work of art . . . and love!

But I still don’t know if there is anybody or anything in that casket!

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Lancaster’s Graveyard Rabbit hit the Jackpot TWICE this week!

First of all, I found my very own Graveyard Rabbit! He looks like a baby to me, and didn’t have the good sense to hop away.  Of course, that iron fence between Lancaster Cemetery and St. Mary’s Cemetery was his protection from this Graveyard Rabbit.He was as curious about me as I was him and even posed for me!  Twice!  Now the second jackpot could be fodder for a number of jokes, because I found a graveyard in a Trailer Park! Yes, Brubacher Cemetery is located under a tree, behind the barn and next to one of the trailers in King’s River Haven Mobile Park, just north of Bainbridge, Pennsylvania.
Sounds like something on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, doesn’t it? Jeff Foxworthy could probably think of a quadzillion jokes! All of that went thru my mind, too, until I saw the spot. Notice how manicured the lawn is? and no broken headstones! But the truly remarkable thing to me is the fact that after almost 200 years, the headstones were still readable!
Abraham Brubacher’s headstone is over 200 years old and has been thru that many winters, very close to the Susquehanna River, is still in one piece and can still be read without any effort or strain. Every one of the seven headstones there were in the same condition.  I just wished I had Brubachers in my family tree!

With my good luck rabbit and my Trailer Park Graveyard, I can honestly say

It’s been a good week in Graveyard’s for this Lancaster Graveyard Rabbit!

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Improvements at Woodward Hill Cemetery

It’s been a stressful week with real estate doings so I took Thursday off and headed to Woodward Hill Cemetery.  The weather was in the 60′s and a perfect fall day!The first thing I noticed was somebody with a weedeater going around the monuments and headstones.  See him at the top of the hill?  Tiny little figure in front of the red tree?  That is something not usually seen there ~ a lone figure working!  Usually there are groups of them, kinda working, talking and not paying attention.  The next thing I noticed was all the grass was cut!  Not just cut in certain areas, but cut throughout the entire Cemetery!  The Cemetery looked clean and groomed with just this one little (or probably BIG) thing!The third thing I noticed, and this to me was the most impressive, is that somebody is trying to upright the fallen headstones and place them in the spots they belong in!  The Snyder stones are evidence of this.  I noticed this throughout the Cemetery!  My heart started singing!

I am writing this blog because I have written so many criticizing this Cemetery.  The neglience of the Board and/or staff in maintaining such a historic site in Lancaster has been a thorn in my side.  After all, our 16th President, James Buchanan, is buried there.  Whether you think he was a great President or a mediocre President, he was stilll the President of our Great Nation and his resting place attracts a lot of visitors.

It is time I write a blog praising somebody’s efforts!  Kudos to the responsible party(s)!   I realize you cannot stop vandalism, tipping over headstones and people walking through and throwing their trash as they walk.  This is a fact of life in this particular cemetery.  You can, however, make an effort, such as they are doing, to straighten up the mess.  

The only disappointment of the day, and it was a personal disappointment was Mary Auxer’s headstone.  Remember my blog, “Putting Mary in Her Place,” on our efforts to upright it?  It stayed up for 5 months before temptation got the best of somebody, and it’s tipped over again!  Sad, isn’t it?  I realize the maintenance staff and/or the Board has little control over this sort of thing and it’s going to continue, but never-the-less it is a sad commentary on our society today!

Overall, I was so tickled to see the improvements in Woodward Hill Cemetery!

If I can criticize, I can praise.  I owe Woodward Hill Cemetery this blog!!

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