[or-roots] Abandoned Roseburg Cemetery

[Kith-n-Kin]

Connie

Thanks for sharing this with us.

Pat (in Tucson)

-----Original Message-----
From: or-roots-admin at sosinet.sos.state.or.us [mailto:or-roots-admin at sosinet.sos.state.or.us] On Behalf Of
Connie Guardino
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 16:48
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: [or-roots] Abandoned Roseburg Cemetery


For years, the small piece of land on Eastwood Street in Roseburg patched with grass and dirt has
resembled an abandoned, empty lot.

Anyone taking a stroll across the property through the scattered oak and fir trees may never have known
they were in fact treading on unmarked graves.

But thanks to the concern of a few individuals, the forgotten cemetery established around 1859 has a new
memorial stone and will be rededicated Friday.

Rosemary Spires, who has lived across the street from the cemetery with her husband, Vincent, since 1952,
took it upon herself years ago to figure out why most of the tombstones had been removed from the
cemetery. She had found the crumbled headstone of a young child who died in 1875 and wanted to see a
better appreciation for history.

"It bothered me that it wasn't marked," she said while sitting in her living room that overlooks the
cemetery.

Years later, she took her plight to Douglas County officials with an idea for a new monument to
memorialize the grave sites.

But concerns from county officials that a new memorial would be vandalized or not cared for halted her
plans.

"We were hesitant because there has been vandalism in some of these old cemeteries recently," said Ken
Hendrick, director of the county land department.

But Spires didn't give up.

"I was so frustrated because I got nowhere the usual route," she said.

Through research, she discovered the cemetery had belonged to the Masonic Laurel Lodge No. 13 in Roseburg
in the late 1800s, but had been deeded to the county around 1900.

Last year, she brought the cemetery to the attention of local Masons, who in turn took up the quest to see
the cemetery cared for and honored.

"(Spires) essentially called and had some concerns about the use of the park," said Edward Bouwsema, who
was master of the lodge at the time.

He said the Masons, who had been unaware of the cemetery's existence, also began meeting with county
officials to discuss what should be done.

"We thought a rededication ceremony might be appropriate," he said.

Where Spires had little luck, the Masons succeeded. After attempting to have a monument built on the
property for years, Spires was surprised a couple of weeks ago when she saw a concrete memorial piece
being built on the property.

"Apparently, they picked up on it," she said. "I had no idea, they'd been working on it ever since."

Tim Randall, a junior deacon at the lodge who helped build the stone, said he'd heard rumors that a
developer planned to build on the lot and knew he needed to get the cemetery marked.

"I thought no, this is one of the cemeteries of my forefathers," he said.

Douglas County Commissioner Joyce Morgan -- under the stipulation that the stone be the responsibility of
the Masons and not the county -- said she was happy to help with the building permit process through the
Roseburg Planning Commission.

"You just work with those people that are interested and try to bring it together," she said.

 The $1,000 stone and bronze plaque the Masons placed on the property with the help of local members of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows will be the centerpiece for the Friday rededication ceremony.

Bouwsema plans to personally thank Spires, who was invited to the ceremony, for bringing the issue to the
forefront.

He said the ceremony is important for remembering and paying respect to the pioneers who settled in the
area so long ago.

"If you're buried as a Mason, we try to take care of you," he said.

While no one seems sure of what happened to the cemetery's headstones, everyone agrees that negligence and
vandalism were likely factors.

"It's my understanding the headstones disappeared from that cemetery a long time ago," Hendrick said.

Spires said pieces of headstones were found under a concrete slab of her neighbors' home years ago when
additions were being put on the house that was originally built in the 1940s.

The child's headstone she had found now rests in the Douglas County Museum where Spires once worked on
exhibits.

The mystery of the missing headstones means nobody is quite sure who is buried on the lot.

The Masons began searching through lodge records dating back to the 19th century that provided accounts of
possible burials. Roseburg founder Aaron Rose's brother Abram may have been buried there, according to his
obituary. Members of the historic Masonic lodge and Independent Order of Odd Fellows who pioneered the
area are also thought to rest there.

Bouwsema said the Masons will continue to search through records so those buried there can be honored and
remembered.

"It's a case of finding our brothers again," he said.

* You can reach reporter intern Chelsea Duncan at 957-4246 or by e-mail at newsreview.info.

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