Ohio House Bill 168 Has Passed and is Headed for the Ohio Senate -- Progress Made for some of Ohio's Cemeteries!

Sharing some links regarding Ohio House Bill 168 which just passed and is now headed to the Ohio Senate for review and hopefully will gain passage as well.   

Press Release from the Ohio House - 132nd General Assembly regarding HB 168

And,

From the website: "Legiscan" regarding House Bill 168.  

Sadly, even active (current burial) cemeteries can become victims; victims of their owners who abandon them, which should be unheard of. 

 Fairview Memorial Park in Delaware County and Grandview Memorial Park, Ravenna, in Portage County, Ohio have lacked proper ownership for quite some time due to their owners becoming involved with criminal activity. 

Also, there are two cemeteries in southern Ohio where the owners fled the state: Floral Hills Memory Gardens, Circleville in Pickaway County; and Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Chillicothe, in Ross County. 

Volunteers are often the ones who are left behind to care for these "orphaned cemeteries" while they await new owners, which can be a long time coming. These are cemeteries that have current and future burials; yet no one to maintain their grounds and gravesites or their records.

Hopefully, House Bill 168 will also pass the Ohio Senate as it is the best legislation put forth to address these issues, and deserves to be enacted to save any other cemeteries that one day may be faced with such an unfortunate fate. 

Southington / Pinecrest Cemetery in Trumbull County, Ohio.: A Pioneer Cemetery "Lifted, Corrected, and Restored"

May I say that this week has been a stellar one for Ohio's Cemeteries - with more good news to share that keeps them in the spotlight!  
💗💗💗💗
Today, we're sharing this wonderful article that comes from Trumbull County, Ohio featuring the Southington / Pinecrest Cemetery (per "Find A Grave" - 884 interments and 95% photographed). 

~*~*~*~*~*~

The title of the story is short; but it carries a big message:  

"Cemetery's Markers Righted"
which appeared online on October 22, 2017 on the website of the "Tribune Chronicle" published in Warren, Ohio.

The article covers the evolution of the Southington Cemetery Association and their work that began in 2002.  Now new leadership continues with the association's work to right the wrongs by completing restorations of gravestones of all types and sizes at the Southington Cemetery.  

Quoting below a short excerpt from the story.:

"The cemetery has some of the oldest markers from the early 1800s, including Civil War markers and markers of the founding families such as the Chalker family, including Newton Chalker, founder of the school system, and Luke Viets, founder of the township."

 Please check out:
The Southington / Pinecrest Cemetery on "Ohiogravstones.org"

"Remembering the Forgotten" -- Inviting You to Join Beth Wilson-Shoemaker on Her Cemetery Journeys!

     It is my pleasure to share this feature news article entitled:

          "Remembering the Forgotten"

     It was written by By Nikki Blankenship - nblankenship@aimmediamidwest.com of the "Daily Times" in Portsmouth, Ohio. 

     She interviewed Beth Wilson-Shoemaker; and because she did we, the readers, are so fortunate to have an opportunity to learn about Beth and her passion to preserve the cemeteries she visits. 

     This well-written article invites us to follow along with Beth and her rewarding pursuit to photograph, document, and preserve cemeteries while bringing to life the hidden stories they have waiting for us to discover.  

     Beth also has a fabulous Facebook Page:

    "A Grave Site: Cemetery Photographs by BAWS"