If you’ve driven down Pine Street recently and wondered why the cemetery marker between two arbor vitae was taped off, you aren’t alone. With Holy Family Cemetery to the west and Oakland (City) Cemetery to the east, the old cemtery marker doesn’t look all that bad, but upon review it appears that natural decay and time have made it necessary to rebuild the structure. We checked in with Public Works operator John Hoel and this is what he had to say: “The tape was put around the sign because the structure is deteriorating to the point it may tip over,” he said. “The tape is just a warning to keep people away from it so no one gets hurt. The City Council is aware of the situation as well as the Catholic church and plans are being made to rebuild the structure.”

So there you have it, from under a clear blue sky. Although not visible from a distance, the monument shows cracking on the southeast corner, while a need for cemetery work in general has come up at past council meetings.

Several monuments in the cemetery grounds have been affected by spring frost heaves and are tilting, while others are show the ravages of time more generally.

The larger cemetery grounds on Pine Street includes many notables of the early period, including David J. Kean, Charles Hoffman, Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Bridgman, Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Culbertson, Dr. and Mrs. Erdman, John Chalkey, and one-time operator of Boone’s Dam Herman Boone, together with his family.