Here we see a MS Bing image of the cemetery in a plowed field. There does not appear to be any major damage to the cemetery when this map was made back about three years ago.
This is a Google version of the above map - made in the early spring and still the stones are about all standing.
This is a blow up of the above MS Bing map showing the stones and the damage from the vandalism. Most all the tombs have shown signs damage from time & the elements, with fallen monuments etc, but the vandalized ones are obliterated beyond repair.
From the bottom right detailing up the row:
The Peter T. & W.H. Coover Obelisk stones appear o be standing above, but have now been pushed over and lie on the ground, both pointing eastward as seen in the photos.
The Solomon Coover stone has fallen in the past and today is standing against its base.
The Marthy Jane Coover stone is still standing.
The Lethia M. Coover stone is standing
The Sallie Coover & Parks Townsend monument has fallen and is no longer standing except for the inscribed blocks, but this may not be the damage of vandals.
Next row eastward:
The Muntford R. Townsend stone has been severely vandalized. The thick 6" stone lid is broken into many fragments by the blows of criminal vandals. They were stupid enough to think there was treasure or a body behind the lid. Neither is true in southern cemeteries. There are spiders, wasp and snakes though and I hope they reaped their share of those.
This photo was made by J. Preston back in 2006. the stone was still standing and in good order then.
This is the crushed parts of the Muntford R. Townsend box tomb today.
The Mary Ann Lucretia Townsend box tomb is broken and still stands together. Someone probably stacked it back together after the vandalism because the parts are not so heavy.
The Rebeca F. Townsend stone has been broken. The top is broken and removed from the base and the sides are falling inward.
The other three box tombs are covered by a large thicket of blackberry briars. As for me I don't plan on clearing them until it is a given the vandals will not return.
Whom ever did this dastardly deed used heavy tools, because these are some of the heaviest box tombs I have seen.
When found, I reported this vandalism to the Madison County Sheriff and they respectively took the report which I provided in detail. The officer also informed me that a teenager from the nearby High School had attacked this cemetery and caused the destruction a couple of years prior to my visit here. I was informed he had been prosecuted and punished and this was no longer an open case.
Graphic map images modified for this site by Wayne Austin 10 Aug 2012.
