By Emily Molina. Wreaths Across America (WAA) commences its yearly journey to place wreaths upon every eligible marker at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. Dec. 11. The annual procession, initiated by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester almost 30 years ago, has become a holiday tradition. WAA’s mission is to “remember, honor, and teach” about the […]
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3,000 wreaths, destined for veterans’ headstones in Ottawa, stolen
By Peter Szperling. OTTAWA — Thousands of handmade wreaths, meant for a ceremony to honour fallen servicemen and servicewomen at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, have been stolen. 6,024 wreaths were to be placed on veterans’ headstones this upcoming Sunday. Approximately 3,000 were taken from a rural area just outside of Maxville, Ont. this past weekend. […]
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Conserving Jewish cemeteries, one stone at a time
By Kevin Riordan. On an otherwise quiet morning at Har Nebo, the venerable Jewish cemetery in Northeast Philadelphia, the clinking of Joe Ferrannini’s hammer and chisel was the sound of history being made to last. Ferrannini has been meticulously reassembling, resetting and cleaning the broken, sunken, fallen or discolored stones on 32 graves at Har […]
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Spring into Warm Weather and Fresh Ideas
By Melissa Petruzzi. Spring has arrived, and with it comes warm, sunny weather and a fresh, new outlook as restrictions are slowly being lifted and we’re getting back to our regular lifestyles. With the weather improving we’re all spending more time outdoors, and there’s no better time to stop by your local cemetery to visit […]
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Cremation: A Brief History
By Melissa Petruzzi. The topic of cremation as a form of disposition yields a number of different responses. Many people still tend to think of an in-ground burial as the only burial method, but there are other types of burials. Cremation is currently the most popular form of disposition in America, and it has been […]
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Pioneer cemeteries say ‘enough’ to vandalism, hope to install cameras
By Kevin Harden. Volunteers who maintain two historic cemeteries in Newberg have had it with vandalism at the properties. They’re seeking more than $9,000 in a state grant to install security cameras they hope will reduce incidents. Newberg’s Fernwood Pioneer Cemetery Association applied for the state funds in early May as part of a $14,800 […]
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Huge cemetery with at least 250 rock-cut tombs discovered in Egypt
By Owen Jarus. About 250 tombs, some with fancy layouts and hieroglyphics, have been discovered cut into a hill at Al-Hamidiyah cemetery to the east of Sohag, in Egypt’s Eastern Desert, about 240 miles (386 kilometers) southeast of Cairo, Egypt’s antiquities ministry said. The tombs were constructed at different times in Egypt’s history, the archaeologists […]
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County pledges new protections for old cemeteries
By Jill Palermo. Prince William supervisors pledged Tuesday to change how the county protects historic cemeteries and gravesites after it was discovered that a local brewery cleared land believed to hold an estimated 75 to 100 century-old graves with ties to Thoroughfare – a historically African American and Native American community near Haymarket. Supervisor Pete […]
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Catholic Cemeteries holds 29th burial of indigent, unborn
By Joyce Duriga. On a sunny fall day, Nov. 12, Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago held its 29th committal service to bury indigent people and the unborn from Cook County at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 2755 W. 111th St. The burial included the remains of one unidentified person, 48 unborn babies, and 114 indigent […]
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Gravestone Tour Focuses on Artistic Side of Death
By Michael Mawson. BENNINGTON — Cemeteries are often thought of as a place of remembrance and a final resting place. Some would describe them as “spooky.” Bennington Museum curator Jamie Franklin sees them a bit differently. “I kind of consider cemeteries to be outdoor museums,” Franklin said. Franklin guided two tours late last month regarding […]
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