A tisket, a tasket, please don't touch that casket : an evaluation of cemeteries in Delaware County, Indiana
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Abstract
American cemeteries have evolved from unsophisticated and crowded burial grounds to curvilinear and elegantly designed rural cemeteries to the functional business of the memorial park. Regardless of the type, all cemeteries are constantly changing due to their natural features and because of the deterioration of stone after prolonged exposure to the elements. Then add neglect or vandalism into the mix and cemeteries appear to be particularly doomed.This creative project examines the cemeteries in Delaware County, Indiana. Working from "Cemeteries in Delaware County, Indiana" by Rosaella Cartwright and Elizabeth Modlin, an inventory was completed for the sixty located cemeteries. The ten that were not inventoried were outside the scope of the project, could not be located, or inaccessible. The landscape features, markers, funerary art motifs, and preservation efforts were recorded and the data was then analyzed. Issues and challenges facing the cemeteries were investigated, including how to go about properly documenting a cemetery and general information on cleaning and repairing markers. Finally preservation guidelines and recommendations were proposed for the cemeteries in Delaware County.