DYING BREED -- RURAL FAMILY CEMETERIES

Abandoned Private Family Cemetery, Madison County, Kentucky. 
Family cemetery name unknown.

As I drive country roads in Kentucky I more than likely will spot a family cemetery sitting on some knoll. My home has an  abandoned one located just east of me, another still cared for just west, all within close walking distance. 


Kentucky has many small private family cemeteries that have existed for decades or centuries on rural landscapes.  Today, they are found near existing homesteads or many times they sit alone on open acreage or in isolated woodlands. 

Kentucky family cemeteries, for the most part, are abandoned according to a Kentucky Task Force report on the Preservation of Kentucky Cemeteries, 2001.  This report states that out of 2,157 private family burial grounds surveyed, 95% were found to be abandoned. The 2,157 number does not account for all private family cemeteries in the state of Kentucky. Today, the Kentucky Historical Society has a Cemetery Preservation Program that is continuing to comprehensively survey all cemeteries and burial sites in the state.

You might ask what are the causes of abandonment?  There are several; land development, deeds changing hands, natural overgrowth, vandalism, and families relocating. Families dispersing leave the cemeteries without caretakers. 

Abandoned cemetery, acreage overgrowth area, Madison County, Kentucky. Family unknown

Families used to bury their own on their farms or plantations in the South. The layout of these old cemeteries plus their fencing, and gravestones can help identify the former local cultural pattern. I'an W. Brown an anthropology professor at the University of Alabama described family cemeteries as "outdoor museums that are threatened throughout the South." (Theo Emery, The Washington Post)


Kentucky law requires cemeteries to be protected within city limits. This requirement assures all types of city cemeteries will be cared for. Yet there are seemingly no real protections for the rural private family cemeteries that sit forlornly on their hallowed grounds. The only law that I know of is that a developer is legally responsible for moving grave sites to new locations if they develop the land. However, this law is often disregarded by developers. 


I do believe that private family cemeteries are a dying breed in Kentucky. I don't think anyone feels good about this.

References

Kentucky Task Force on the Preservation of Kentucky Cemeteries, 2001

More Family Cemeteries Dying Away in the South by Theo Emery, The Wahington Post, 2006

Kentucky Cemetery Preservation Program

ABANDONED PHOTO ART

PLEASE NOTE: This is my first attempt at creating a YouTube video. I cheated a bit as my dot.com son helped me every step of the way. I'm learning a lot from him lately. I do appreciate his sharing of some of the knowledge that he has. So here is the results of my attempt -- it was a fun and complex experience as usual --  meaning every new step I learn with computers is challenging.