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research crossroads The facts are always less than what really happened. The revelation that the purported mass grave in the Normal Hill Cemetery did not in fact exist served to redirect the thinking of the lead investigator. If there were no graves in the city cemetery, where had the people been buried? Since burial at another site was not an option, the only alternative explanation was that these people had not been exhumed at all. the "mass grave" cover story?
Of some interest is the contract signed with Dudley Gilman in 1893 to remove remains from the cemetery. City ordinance 144 gave residents until 15 June 1893 to remove their loved ones. After that date the city would remove the remains and charge the surviving family members. Hence, Gilman's work would not have begun until at least 16 June 1893 (a Friday). His contract was paid on 3 July 1893. That means no more than 13 days of work in the old cemetery. Given an average cost of $39.00 per grave (based on costs published for coffins, lots, labor, etc.), Gilman exhumed fewer than 20 graves in that period. Why would accounts of a mass grave have developed? One possible explanation is that such a story would have been a way to gain support for the building of a public park at the site of the old cemetery. The park had been authorized in 1899. Beginning in 1901, this movement would not have had public support if it were known that many graves still existed in the area. Indeed, much public debate resulted from a requests to use public funds to plant trees in the park. Another hypothesis is that the story would have been a "cover story" for the lack of exhumations, a simple matter of disinformation. Since no one lived in the area, few would have questioned whether or not the bodies had been moved. Also, one should not forget that city official could have decided that some remains, especially those buried for some years and having no relatives living locally, would be best left undisturbed. The mass grave story would have been an easy explanation for a quiet decision. other important factoids As interviews were conducted with local residents who have ties to the old cemetery through their families and friends, other interesting discoveries were made. In the 1960's, one man found what can only be described as finger bones on the old cemetery grounds while searching with a metal detector. This is perfectly consistent with trait of bones to "drift" upward in loose soils from old graves. About 1957, a skull was dislodged from the hillside of the old cemetery. While some said that it must have been a miner killed in a cave-in, no mines have ever been dug in the area, the soils of which are totally unsuited for such a venture. All of these considerations led the team to redirect its attention to finding out what happened to the people who had been laid to rest in the old cemetery. New sources of information would have been found, more technologies employed. |
During
the course of research in 2001-2002 concerning the supposed mass grave
and at a time when our interest in the site was only marginal, at least least two
(2) independent sources had been verified, both claiming that "They
moved more headstones than graves." One source was an editor
of the Lewiston Morning Tribune (long deceased), whose uncle was an
official with the original cemetery. Ground penetrating radar
surveys of the oldest sites tend to support this report.