Middletown Cemetery
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown Community
Forum Name: About Middletown
Forum Description: History and information about Middletown, Ohio
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4069
Printed Date: Nov 21 2024 at 1:37pm
Topic: Middletown Cemetery
Posted By: da120757
Subject: Middletown Cemetery
Date Posted: Aug 20 2011 at 8:26am
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I thought this was a good article
Push on to list cemetery on national list
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/push-on-to-list-cemetery-on-national-list-1234163.html?bigName=Staff+photo+by+Gary+Stelzer&bigPhotog=Staff+photo+by+Gary+Stelzer&bigCap=The+Middletown+Cemetery+pictured+Friday+in+Middletown.+A+movement+is+underway+to+put+the+12-acre+burial+ground+onto+the+federal+national+registrar+of+historic+cemeteries.&bigDeclCap=The+Middletown+Cemetery+pictured+Friday+in+Middletown.+A+movement+is+underway+to+put+the+12-acre+burial+ground+onto+the+federal+national+registrar+of+historic+cemeteries.&bigCred=&bigUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ohio-share.coxnewsweb.com%2fmultimedia%2fdynamic%2f01001%2f73626122_-1_1001503c.jpg&superSizeImage=y - By Andy Sedlak, Staff Writer 8:08 PM Friday, August 19, 2011 MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown Cemetery holds the burial plots of three Revolutionary War soldiers, 238 confirmed veterans, numerous state representatives and a host of past mayors. Its patrons believe the cemetery is one of the strongest links Middletown has to its past and preservation should be a priority for the cemetery. That’s why movement is being made to have the 12-acre burial ground a national historical site and to place it on a National Registrar of Historic Cemeteries. It would make the cemetery available for other avenues of funding, some that are only available to cemeteries deemed national and state historical sites. The city of Middletown designated the cemetery as a historical site in the late 2000s, but Middletown Cemetery Board member Mitchell Ballard said the cemetery deserves recognition from the state and national levels. “The end goal is to try to get it put on a national register,” he said. To get there, cemetery must apply with a state-level group and adhere to about 20 requirements, essentially measuring how good the condition of the cemetery is in and how well it reflects the time it was established, which was 1827. Some restoration is in order before cemetery officials can apply. Ballard said it will take about $90,000 to repair the cemetery’s vault, which at one time was used a storage facility for bodies during times of bad weather. “We would like to use it as a museum,” Ballard said of the vault. “There could be pamphlets and promotional items and eventually have a walking tour to show where prominent people in Middletown are buried.” One person of prominence would be the Rev. James Grimes, a Revolutionary War soldier with noted accolades for his work on the Capital building in Washington D.C., Ballard said. Grimes spent his later years preaching in Middletown. Cemetery officials would also like to start refurbishing headstones. The Middletown Cemetery Board has received a $15,000 grant for the vault and a $9,300 grant for the tombstone restoration from the Middletown Community Foundation. The board is accepting donations for further assistance. If community members would like to donate to the vault’s restoration, Ballard said checks can be made out to the City of Middletown Finance Department at One Donham Plaza. Residents should designate that checks should go to the Middltown Cemetery fund for vault restoration. Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or asedlak@coxohio.com. |
Replies:
Posted By: LMAO
Date Posted: Aug 20 2011 at 10:09am
| If community members would like to donate to the vault’s restoration, Ballard said checks can be made out to the City of Middletown Finance Department at One Donham Plaza. Residents should designate that checks should go to the Middltown Cemetery fund for vault restorationThe spineless ones stoled money from the fund before why should people think that it wouldnt happen again? |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Aug 20 2011 at 10:56am
| Sorry Mr. Ballard but there is no trust in mailing a check to the city of Middletown, even if one were to write "for vault restoration". Sending money to the city building may get that money used for something other than intended. Secretive money movement from fund to fund in the past has eroded trust. |
Posted By: da120757
Date Posted: Aug 21 2011 at 8:33am
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I sit on the Board for the Middletown Cemetery. There was an account set up and designated only for the Cemetery. The Board was assured that the money is not going to be used for anything other than the Vault or what the donor specifies. I am tired of hearing people say that the board for this cemetery cannot get anything done? IMO the Cemetery Board has been able to make accomplishments that could not be made in the past. What happened in the past is the past so LETS MOVE ON!!!!!
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Posted By: ground swat
Date Posted: Aug 21 2011 at 8:59am
| Know one I know questions the board although removing the first chairman was a little wild. I trust the board I don't trust or agree with the second floor of the city. Lets try to separate the many levels of just taking care of a cemetery. Anyone thats watched this sorry performance of management then volunteered to try and help should realize there is going to be trust issues with the taxpayers. |
Posted By: LMAO
Date Posted: Aug 21 2011 at 7:53pm
Sorry but You have more trust in the city then alot of people.How can someone move on when the city has refuse you that sit on the board a explanation on what happen to money that was in the Acct. at one time? What happens in the past sometimes come back and bite yea on the A$$ to.
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da120757 wrote:Posted By: da120757
Date Posted: Aug 21 2011 at 9:17pm
| well I will not argue with you all here. Some people just need to leave the past in the past. We started anew in February and are moving on from there People just need to stop bringing up what happened in the past with Vivian and that whole problem with her and the city. New People New Time. Like I said Lets just move on if it dies not work out for the Board and the Vault then we have all learned a lesson. |
Posted By: Richard Saunders
Date Posted: Aug 21 2011 at 9:48pm
"Those
who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." … George
Santayana, Reason in Common Sense
"Those
who don't know history are destined to repeat it." … Edmund Burke |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Aug 22 2011 at 6:49am
I would like to add to your comment ...... "People just need to stop bringing up what happened in the past with Vivian and that whole problem with her and the city. New People New Time". I would like to change that to read ..... People just need to stop bringing up what happened in the past with Vivian and that whole problem with her and the city. New People New Time AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CEMETERY BOARD BUT WE STILL HAVE THE PERPETRATORS OF THE BAD SITUATION WITH THE LIKES OF GILLELAND AND LANDEN, WHO WERE, AND STILL ARE, THE PRIMARY ROADBLOCKS TOWARD SEEING THE CEMETERY SITUATION CORRECTED. NEW PEOPLE NEW TIME IS NOT QUITE ACCURATE. WE STILL HAVE THE CITY'S RESISTANCE. JMO |
Posted By: LMAO
Date Posted: Aug 22 2011 at 7:53am
Sorry to say it but You are starting to sound like one that is working on the 2nd floor of the city building.How can someone not bring up the pass when Money has gone missing that could be used in what you on the board are asking for donations for? The problem is the SPINELESS Ones taking money out of one fund and using it for something else.
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Posted By: da120757
Date Posted: Aug 22 2011 at 8:47am
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I don't think you know me at all, cause if you did, you would know that if I thought about this issue the same way everyone on this blog is thinking about the board and your so called SPINELESS ONES??? I would not be on the board at all. I was asked by someone we all know to put my application in for a board member because I have been involved with this issue since 1994, long before Vivian came into the picture. And do not get me wrong, I appreciate everything that Vivian has done for this cemetery and in this cemetery, and I felt heartsick when all the plantings disappeared but like I said that is in the past and we cannot do anything to get them back now. As for the Money that Vivian says is hers. I do not know about the money going missing , only the money that was taken out of the accout to purchase mulch for the Cemetery, and the money that was left from the initial funds is still there. Vivian did not want it so the Board voted to use that money for the Vault as well. All of this is old news everyone knows this. And let me tell you something else if I had started sounding like the one working on the 2nd floor I would be saying tear it down but I am fighting to keep this vault in place. So Like I said before and I will keep saying LETS MOVE ON, and get this Cemetery back to the way it use to be. Oh by the way did you not say you were going to donate a Tarp to cover the vault???? I received two private messeges from you for two weeks and well have not seen that tarp yet???
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Posted By: LMAO
Date Posted: Aug 22 2011 at 9:59am
Oh so you want to play it this way do yea? I have the damn tarp and I was told that they wasnt ready to put it up at this time. When they decide to put it up I will drop it off to the person Im suppose to but again I be damn if Im going to drop it for them to use it somewhere else.So maybe you ought to get your facts right before you insert your foot in you mouth.Would you like me to send you the Private message I got?
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Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Aug 22 2011 at 1:26pm
| Every one take a deep breath we are all wanting the same outcome from all of this mess its not doing any good if we as law abiding citizens can not even discuss this issue with out finger pointing. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Aug 26 2011 at 7:11am
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I have received numerous phone calls about this article because it is somewhat misleading. |
Posted By: da120757
Date Posted: Aug 26 2011 at 3:18pm
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Vivian Please do not get me wrong about what I said about bringing up the past I say that because as we the board are reaching out to the community for funds to help restore the Vault, There are still all those people and they know who they are, that are undermining what we are working toward by complaining about everything the Board and the City is doing to solve issues, and this is why we are getting on the MUSA blog that people are afraid to donate money to the Board to fix the Vault. I cannot tell you how many people I have heard from that say Just tear the Vault down. Why would we do this when it is the Focal Point of the cemetery and should remain there.
I know the cemetery has been neglected by the City for the last 60 years as does everyone else that lives in this city with the exception of a few that just do not give a damn. I however do give a damn and that is why I am on this new cemetery board. .
We the board are trying to get things accomplished, and granted it is not moving along as fast as I would like it to but it will take time. The only reason for my saying that is that things did or did not happen in the 60 years that the cemetery has owned this cemetery so we all need to quit blaming and move toward the goal that we all want and that is to fix the vault, fix the tombstones, and get the cemetery back to the way we all envision that it should be.
I do know that the Cemetery is not ready to file for Historic Status ( Middletown Journal blew that way out of proportion imagine that). Reasearch is still being done and records gone over for this cemetery. I am hopeful that in time we will see a Historic Cemetery we as a community can be proud of.
And another thing just so you know and those on here know. I got involved with this Cemetery problem way back in 1994, took my sons boy scout troop, volunteers from Target and others went down and cleaned for two seperate days with the promise from then Public Works Supervisor that they would take better care of the Cemetery. After that the City only did bare minimum maintenance. The City did cut down trees and re graveled the driveways. I appreciate all the hard work that you did in the cemetery and I know you know that because I have told you.
So as you can see... These problems may or may not be solved, but we are working hard to see if we can get it done together.
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Posted By: ground swat
Date Posted: Aug 26 2011 at 6:53pm
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Anyone who has followed this story knows the Board cares. Sh-t all of us care but the point is how hard is it to read a State Ord. and follow it. It takes hands-on every wk. attention...... Following this" Pass the puck" city manager is hard to stomach. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Aug 27 2011 at 8:07am
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I sit on the Board for the Middletown Cemetery. There was an account set up and designated only for the Cemetery. The Board was assured that the money is not going to be used for anything other than the Vault or what the donor specifies.
Ms Morrison The funds from the grants that were filed in April were put put into MY ACCOUNT. I requested that these funds be seperated. I was also assured that only I could remove funds from my account...well we know how that went. I did not agree to give my cemetery fund money to the new cemetery board. I would strongly advise that the new cemetery board get a written agreement from the City clearly stating how and by whom these funds can be used. |