Friends of Midland

P. O. Box 7442
Steelton, Pennsylvania 17113-0442
E-mail:  Friends of Midland

Midland Diary

Summer 2005
Neighbors

Pictures, notes and interesting things that happen at the Midland Cemetery.

At left, John Hand, a neighbor who lives across from the cemetery at the corner of Kelker and Seigfried Streets, stands behind one of the butterfly bushes that he donated and planted throughout the cemetery. He also purchased and installed a new light for the flag pole and keeps an eye out for problems.

The butterfly bushes will develop into large attractive shrubs that will beautify the cemetery for many years, not only with their attractive and aromatic flower spikes, but also by inviting many butterflies into the cemetery for visitors to enjoy.

Mr. Hand's generosity and care are much appreciated, not only by the Friends of Midland, but by the tens of thousands of persons with ancestors who lie here.  His role as a caretaker of local history is also highly admirable.  Thank you, John Hand.

Discovery

At right, Friends of Midland board member George Nagle shows an aluminum burial plate that was recovered on a recent clean up day.  The plate is stamped with the name Carolyn Middlebrook.  A check of our records of known burials did not turn up anyone by that name, which indicates that there are many more burials in the cemetery than are currently documented.

The plate is of a style placed by a funeral home in place of a headstone, but due to their small size and relatively fragile holders, many of these temporary markers get lost through the decades.  This plate was found half buried in the ground, visible after all these years only because the dry weather conditions had caused most of the grass to go dormant.

The exact site where Nagle found the plate was marked for future reference.

Restoration

If you drive by the cemetery and notice huge piles of dirt, don't be alarmed!  No one is being buried (the cemetery is closed to further burials) nor are any graves being disturbed.  The topsoil has been donated by Swatara Township so that we can fill in the many depressions and uneven ground, particularly on the northern edge of the cemetery.  After many years, more than a few of the graves in that area have sunken into the earth, resulting in large depressions and dangerously uneven ground.

Each Saturday our hardworking crews have been laboring with pickax, shovel and wheelbarrow to move the topsoil where it is needed most.  Filled areas are then reseeded with grass to restore the ground to its historic appearance.

WE ARE ON THE MOVE.  WON'T YOU JOIN US?

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