Yeah. O'l Br'er can be a long-winded sumbitch at times. Most times. Virtually all the time.
Well, maybe not this one time.
A cry came out from social media for local assistance locating a cemetery in the area. The request came from someone further afield who was concerned that a family cemetery was about to be destroyed by area construction.
Never let it be said that Br'er never helps anyone. Seldom? Yes. Never? No. Besides I was looking for a plausible excuse to leave the warren for a while.
So I trekked a few short miles in search of the fabled graves. At least I had a decent starting point. Though it turned out to be off by about a hundred yards.
Arriving at the general site I see the feared construction. A couple of acres have been bulldozed already. But I first check out the initial location the cemetery is thought to be.
Nothing. Not good.
Before leaving I decide to go ahead and scout the area around the construction site. There is an acre or so of untouched "greenspace" (read: vines, ivy, briars, and ... stuff). There is a construction silt-fence erected around the perimeter. Having been forced to join Pappa Br'er on more than few job sites over the years, I am reasonably well versed with the key Dos and Don'ts of such places. I make damned certain to not enter the site.
As with all these excursions, I am prepared for, uh, snakes. Yeah. Snakes. That this is not exactly the best area to be in in the first place is not important. I was only ready for snakes. But not everyone is comfortable being around anyone ready for snakes. So I have my snake remedy covered by my shirt tail for a change.
No reason to make a problem when none exists.
No reason to make a problem when none exists.
It doesn't take much time to do the scouting. The only thing I find is a campsite for an "Urban Outdoorsman". This puts me on alert for ... snakes.
Just about the time I am ready to abandon the hunt and while I am still close to the campsite (which has clearly been disturbed by the construction), I am approached by a bigger-than-me guy.
Crud. I mentally prepare myself to react accordingly should he present a snake problem. I explain that I am just a harmless lunatic looking for some old graves.
"Oh! You mean the graves over there?", he asked while pointing to a spot close to the main street fronting the site.
I relax a little and we introduce ourselves. Turns out he is the contractor and walks me straight to the graves.
There clearly used to be at least one false tomb. Possibly two. He goes on to explain that the location was surveyed and is being protected, that it was in this condition before the work began. That is obvious just looking at things.
I explain the details of what I am doing and why, and make it clear that he is NOT in the line of fire. And I thank him on behalf of the person who requested the visit for properly protecting things. He adds that there will be a retaining wall erected to further protect the two graves.
Getting back to the warren I am compelled to do more research (as well as submit a cemetery update to Find A Grave to set GPS coordinates and an updated description). Turns out the cemetery was surveyed by a local historian in 1932 and the graves were already disturbed. Indeed, the damage had been done between 1902 and 1910!
I explain the details of what I am doing and why, and make it clear that he is NOT in the line of fire. And I thank him on behalf of the person who requested the visit for properly protecting things. He adds that there will be a retaining wall erected to further protect the two graves.
Getting back to the warren I am compelled to do more research (as well as submit a cemetery update to Find A Grave to set GPS coordinates and an updated description). Turns out the cemetery was surveyed by a local historian in 1932 and the graves were already disturbed. Indeed, the damage had been done between 1902 and 1910!
So, in the end I done a couple of good deeds. How much of my evil does that erase?
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