Cemeteries interest me, and as I have learned over the years, many are sadly neglected or forgotten. Every person, both living or dead, deserve to be treated with respect, love, and nostalgia. Sadly, people become forgotten, and eventually lost to time. As sad as it might seem, a deceased person in Texas must only be dead 100 years before they can be considered archeologist material and summarily dug up and graverobbed. Though overall most people are respectful of the solemnity of cemeteries, some are not.

Another issue concerning especially forgotten cemeteries is that they are swallowed up by hungry landowners, who have the de facto philosophy that even cemeteries can be made private property, whereas in reality legally this is almost always untrue. It comes from the sheer greed of man that they build over cemeteries (and thereby suffer the consequences), or restrict people from visiting a cemetery. Nothing has a simple solution, however, as making such isolated cemeteries public involves counterbalancing vandalism and theft with respect and preservation.

To fellow findagravers, research your local, state, and federal laws regulating entering cemeteries on private property, etc. Texans can reference the following link, keeping in mind this is a summary of very complex laws: http://www.txgenweb.org/tx/cemaccess.htm.

I wish to in a small way contribute to historical records as well as helping those in need by making note of lost and neglected cemeteries and in so doing, hopefully bring enough attention to their historical (as well as sentimental) significance that the community reaches out to care for and preserve them.

Cemeteries interest me, and as I have learned over the years, many are sadly neglected or forgotten. Every person, both living or dead, deserve to be treated with respect, love, and nostalgia. Sadly, people become forgotten, and eventually lost to time. As sad as it might seem, a deceased person in Texas must only be dead 100 years before they can be considered archeologist material and summarily dug up and graverobbed. Though overall most people are respectful of the solemnity of cemeteries, some are not.

Another issue concerning especially forgotten cemeteries is that they are swallowed up by hungry landowners, who have the de facto philosophy that even cemeteries can be made private property, whereas in reality legally this is almost always untrue. It comes from the sheer greed of man that they build over cemeteries (and thereby suffer the consequences), or restrict people from visiting a cemetery. Nothing has a simple solution, however, as making such isolated cemeteries public involves counterbalancing vandalism and theft with respect and preservation.

To fellow findagravers, research your local, state, and federal laws regulating entering cemeteries on private property, etc. Texans can reference the following link, keeping in mind this is a summary of very complex laws: http://www.txgenweb.org/tx/cemaccess.htm.

I wish to in a small way contribute to historical records as well as helping those in need by making note of lost and neglected cemeteries and in so doing, hopefully bring enough attention to their historical (as well as sentimental) significance that the community reaches out to care for and preserve them.