WANTON DESTRUCTION IN OLD CAMDEN CEMETERY
A Photo Tour of The Historical Site's Damage
By Hoag Levins
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March 24, 2004
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CAMDEN, N.J. -- The 203-year-old Old Camden Cemetery has been heavily damaged during the last decade as broad sections of its gravestones have been removed. Now, persons unknown continue to demolish the heavier monuments. Unable to topple the brown marble obelisk (above, left), they pushed off its top piece. The obelisk marks the graves of Paul Koete, Born Feb. 12, 1810, Died July 5, 1866; and Sophia Kathe, Born March 22, 1811, Died Jan. 6, 1873. In the foreground, a thick marble slab has been pushed off its base. The inscription says "KUMMER, Fred K. Kummer, Born April 4, 1856, Died June 7, 1908; Catherine Kummer, Born Dec. 1, 1868, Died Nov. 21, 1910." Above, right: Like a row of wounded soldiers, broken gravestones lean against their footings .
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Stones from the dismantled plot of the Eckert family have been heaved in a pile near the cemetery's northern-most fence (above, left). The white one on top says "OUR SON, Christian Eckert, Nov. 9, 1867 - Aug. 29, 1886." The darker one below says "Christian Eckert, Nov. 11, 1844 - April 19 - 1891." Above, right: Ornate Victorian wrought iron plot fences have been ripped out or hammered and twisted out of shape throughout the graveyard. |
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The scope and nature of the destruction across all eight acres of Old Camden Cemetery suggests a war-zone scene. Above, left, trails of torn up stones can be found everywhere. Family burial plots throughout have been dismantled (above, right). Then, the stones of many have been dragged or piled elsewhere. Witnesses report seeing city trucks carting stones away.
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With all lighter stones in this particular section gone, the few remaining large marble markers are being tumbled over. The marker above, left, says "REED, Sallie T. Reed, 1863 - 1925, Dill Reed; Harry Reed 1857 - 1930." Above, right, lies the marble slab that marked the grave of "Francis B. Vautier, 1833 - 1902; His Wife, Caroline S., 1838 - 1904." |
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Freshly toppled is the gravestone (above, left) of "MY HUSBAND, Benjamin S. Bond, Born 1819, Died 1881." In the center of another swath of stone parts and fragments (above, right) is the toppled but intact stone of "Mary H. Schnekenburger, Died Aug. 15, 1890 In Her 51st Year, Rest In Peace."
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Civil War graves here have been devastated. This single shard (above, left) of a shattered stone says "12th N.J. Inf..." -- a reference to the 12th New Jersey Infantry, one of the state's most storied Civil War units. It fought at Gettysburg in the repulse of Pickett's Charge, the battle that ended Robert E. Lee's hopes of taking the war into the North through Pennsylvania. Above, right, is the only stone left standing in what used to be a large Schoellkopf family burial plot. It reads, "Katherina, Wife of J. Schoellkopf, Born May 13, 1829; Died Sept. 24, 1895." Despite the toppled stones, trash, thorny weeds and foreboding atmosphere, someone continues to visit Old Camden to put silk flowers on Mrs. Schoellkopf's grave 109 years after her death
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All Rights Reserved © 2004, Hoag Levins
HoagL@earthlink.net
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