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Archiver > CEMETERY > 2002-03 > 1015748465


From: Susie Martin-Rott <>
Subject: [Old Bones CEMETERY-L] Old thread on aerial photographs...helpful hints
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2002 03:26:20 -0500
In-Reply-To: <200112080000.fB800Lk20539@lists5.rootsweb.com>


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I'm weeding through some of the back issues before I delete and move to a
new computer and I wanted to address this issue before I forget to ...

>The one thing that we never thought of was arial photo's.
>I don't know how we could pull that one off.
>
>Renee Waring

I worked for several years for a county government--one of my jobs was
printing aerial photographs.
Here are some suggestions for obtaining and working with aerials...

First, use USGS or one of the online locators to get an approximate
longitude/latitude for the area you are interested in. This will make the
person who finally helps you have a much easier time in telling you what is
available.

Half the time if you call the county their "information" desk won't have a
clue what you are talking about. When you call ask for someone in the
Engineering Department; if they can't get you pointed in the right
direction ask them for the Public Works, Highway Division or someone in
Building. Depending on how your county is set up, one of those places is
going to have the aerial photographs. (In Pinellas Co FL it was Public
Works section of Engineering).

Once you've finally tracked down the right department, ask them how many
sets of maps they keep and what the dates on those sets. This can be VERY
helpful if you are trying to locate a "lost" or overgrown cemetery. It may
not show up on a 2000-2002 aerial, but if your county keeps dated sets, you
may want the OLDEST set they have--your target may not have been overgrown
then.

By looking at a series of aerial photos taken over a 20-30 year span of the
same area, starting with the oldest and progressing to the newest, you
might also see how someone else has encroached onto a cemetery or even
devoured one either by slow encroachment or a "permitted" building
project. In most cases you should be allowed to view the available maps
and pick out any or all you wish to have copies made of. The copies are
NOT that expensive to obtain--the high cost was in the original which your
tax dollars already paid for.

Another hint that might come in handy is if some major project has been
built in an area where you believe they may have removed or disturbed a
cemetery, or is in the planning stages of being built, ask if it is
possible to see the county permit submittals for the project (not the
permit itself, but the information that was submitted to OBTAIN the permit
for the project). In most states, these documents are public records and
though the worker might be unwilling to show you the file, you often have
legal right to see it. Ask for a supervisor if your state law says you
have a right to view public records and you are refused.

In most states they are also required to allow you copies of said plans or
portions thereof for a nominal copying fee. These plans as submitted by
the project engineer almost always contain an aerial photograph and design
drawings providing information sometimes not provided to the public
regarding the project (like that their parking lot is going to cover the
old county poor house burial ground...)

One more quick tip on aerials--sometimes counties "purge" their extra
copies and donate these sets to libraries. Check with the local history
section of your public library--they may just have some dusty old books or
rolls of old aerials stuffed away in a corner.


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