CEMETERY-L Archives
Archiver > CEMETERY > 2003-11 > 1068203573
From: K Haddad <>
Subject: Re: [Old Bones CEMETERY-L] Ventura, CA, cemetery desecrated to turn into a park
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 03:12:53 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <001901c3a501$5ddcaf00$ddfa5142@pavilion>
Did anyone write down the names on the tombstones before creating a dump for the tombstones? Where would those names be? I think I have ancestors there.
Did anyone contact the California attorney general?
Was no one in Ventura County interested? If no one knew they had ancestors there, I suppose they wouldn't be interested enough to devote the time and emotional energy required to save a cemetery (which is almost impossible when you're "fighting city hall").
I wonder if the American Civil Liberties Union ever defends the dead....
Katheryn
Sue Silver <> wrote:
Greetings,
The subject of this cemetery was covered by a reporter from the LA Times
late last year (don't hold me to that time period). I was interviewed for
the article and have gone on record as saying I believe what the City did
what they did illegally. It was not then, nor is it now, lawful to create a
"park" out of a cemetery as long as there are bodies in the ground.
There is law (California Health and Safety Code Sections 8825-8829) that
allows COUNTY boards of supervisors to declare a cemetery NOT owned by them
to be abandoned and to close them to future interments. The process to be
followed includes public notice and QUIETING TITLE to the land so as to
create a PIONEER MEMORIAL PARK.
Any cemetery ornamentation found to be hazardous to the public is allowed to
be removed thereafter. The county MUST also thereafter maintain the Pioneer
Memorial Park FOREVER.
California laws sets out that land continues to be DEDICATED to CEMETERY
PURPOSES as long as there are human remains still within the land. A city
park is NOT a cemetery. A cemetery MAY NOT BE USED as a city park.
A Pioneer Memorial PARK is a name given by the legislature supposedly for
lack of a better term. But it is NOT A PARK for playing or walking dogs so
they can urinate and defecate on the graves of our state's earliest pioneer
citizens.
I stand by my opinion. The City of Ventura has violated not only the spirit
and intent of this law, but the graves of the earliest residents of their
town.
I agree - SHAME ON THEM. And, since I help many people with problems with
cemeteries, I'm sorry to say that my feeling is SHAME on the people of the
City of Ventura who allow this kind of cemetery desecration to continue.
If anyone would like further information, please contact me direct at
.
Sincerely,
Sue Silver, State Coordinator
California Saving Graves
----- Original Message -----
From: "K Haddad"
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2003 4:29 PM
Subject: [Old Bones CEMETERY-L] Ventura, CA, cemetery desecrated to turn
into a park
>
> A very nice lady from RAOGK (Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness) who did
a cemetery lookup for me in Ventura Co., CA, wrote me this: Cemetery Park
is a cemetery in Ventura, CA, that was desecrated by the city to turn it
into a park.
>
> "Cemetery Park is just that. So sad. The City of Ventura took all the
headstones and dumped them in a canyon in back of town. This was done 4 or 5
years ago. I had not read anything about it in our local paper till after
the fact.
>
> "Our newspaper said, the city tried to contact families of those buried
there.
>
> "I have lived here nearly all my life, (my Mom was born in Ojai) and I use
to walk that cemetery as a kid (we all did) it was so interesting to read
the headstones. To me it is a sad looking place now.
>
> "The listing for who is buried there I got from our City Clerk. The
listing was done in the early 1940's and she had it on a floppy and was kind
enough to share it with me.
> Our city council should be ashamed of themselves."
>
>
> "Ojai City Hall 805-646-5581
> 401 S. Ventura, Ojai CA
> 93023
>
> Hallie
>
> Does anyone on our list live near Ventura that would be interested in
investigating this?
>
> Katheryn Maddox Haddad
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard
>
>
> ==== CEMETERY Mailing List ====
> If you are on DIGEST mail mode and wish to unsubscribe from the list,
> send a message to
> In the body of the message type: UNSUBSCRIBE
> These directions are for DIGEST MODE mail ONLY
> NOT REGULAR MODE
> Roots Web's computer will send you a message stating YOU ARE NOT ON
> THE LIST if you try unsubbing yourself from the REGULAR mode mail when
> you are actually on digest. THIS IS A COMPUTER GENERATED MESSAGE.
>
> ==============================
> To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records,
go to:
> http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237
>
==== CEMETERY Mailing List ====
If you are on DIGEST mail mode and wish to unsubscribe from the list,
send a message to
In the body of the message type: UNSUBSCRIBE
These directions are for DIGEST MODE mail ONLY
NOT REGULAR MODE
Roots Web's computer will send you a message stating YOU ARE NOT ON
THE LIST if you try unsubbing yourself from the REGULAR mode mail when
you are actually on digest. THIS IS A COMPUTER GENERATED MESSAGE.
==============================
To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to:
http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard
This thread: