Cemetery Vandalism

It has been a busy time of year for this Graveyard Rabbit! Christmas season tends to eat up my days much to quickly. I hope everyone had as nice a Holiday as I did! I wanted to do a post on Christmas in the graveyards, but unfortunately couldn't squeeze it into my schedule this year. I have missed posting to this Graveyard Rabbit site! 

I wanted to share with you some of the damage that you may see in cemeteries. The pictures I am sharing with you I took at the San Lorenzo Pioneer Cemetery.



You may remember this cemetery is under renovation by the local historical society. When I visited I was surprised how much of the shrubbery and weeds had been cleaned up, and the tree trimmers were working trimming the trees while I was there.



I actually took many photos of the damage to headstones and grave sites, these are just a few to give you an idea. Some of the headstones were totally missing, others laying on the ground. Then there were those that were crushed into smaller pieces. Headstones were so far from their actual grave sites, it was amazing.



Walking through this cemetery pulled at my heart, so much damage, so sad. I am sure there are many cemeteries with more massive damage. I could have posted a couple dozen more photos, but I know you have the idea. The light at the end of the tunnel for the San Lorenzo Pioneer Cemetery ~ It is being renovated, and I have already seen improvements! Many thanks to the Hayward Area Historical Society!

Holy Sepulchre Cemetery

This catholic cemetery is located on Mission Blvd. in Hayward. From what I have read I understand the cemetery began in 1913 and as of a year ago entails about three thousand graves.





This is the entrance of the cemetery. It is quite nice, as cemetery entrances go. Not being catholic myself, I had never been inside this cemetery. For some reason I almost felt as if I wasn't suppose to be on these grounds. I am not sure why I felt this way.




The cemetery is probably the most organized looking cemetery I believe I have ever been in. The grounds were nicely kept and the headstones were lined up in rows so perfectly everywhere you looked. I felt such a sense of perfection. Maybe that is one of the reasons I felt I wasn't suppose to be on the grounds. Maybe because it was a catholic cemetery and it looked so perfect?

I took the above picture as I admired the difference in this memorial. There is a surname, but I don't remember finding dates or any other information. There are a few memorials like this one throughout the cemetery.




Here is a picture of the mausoleum. This is such a beautiful building. Next time I visit this cemetery maybe I will feel comfortable enough to actually going inside. I spent about an hour on the grounds and felt more comfortable the longer I was there. And, as usual, the more I explored the more I wanted to explore!


In the future I will share more pictures and a story or two of some of the more prominent people buried here. For now I wanted to introduce the cemetery to you and give you a flavor of age, beauty and perfection.

Family Friends With Mr. Parade!

Who would have thought when I ran across the headstone of "Mr. Parade" That Ed Kinney would have such a connection with a few of my family members!

As mentioned in my last post I have a relative who was a past mayor of Pleasanton as was Mr. Kinney. My relative was Warren Harding. It turns out that Warren and Ed did know each other. I inquired with another first cousin once removed and here is what she told me.

"Ed Kinney was also a friend of mine. He had the name Mr. Parade as he always narrated the Alameda County Fair Parade from the top of the Pleasanton Hotel and was the person who started the "Good Times Parade" in Pleasanton when two of the announcers on some program on TV had a bet and one was to wheel the winner in a wheelbarrow in a parade. Ed volunteered to have it in Pleasanton, it may have been the years he was Mayor. Ed was also part of our Presbyterian Church and I believe he marched with the Balloon Platoon in the parades. He was a friend of Warren's and they served on the council and also the same church. Ed was very active in the Museum on Main St. (In Pleasanton) and their lecture series is named after him. He had a great laugh and always had a funny story to tell. He had worked one time for a drug company and when asked what he did he always responded with "I sell drugs." We all miss him."

She went to to tell me that she had recently run into Ed's wife and filled me on the rest of the family and what they are doing now.

It is very interesting what my cousin told me here, it is so in sync with everything I had read about Mr. Kinney, with a couple added extras. I wasn't familiar with the Balloon Platoon so I looked into it and found this link if you are interested in knowing more!

http://www.centerpointechurch.info/connect/centerpointe-adults/enjoy/balloon-platoon/