R.I.P. might be easier said than done
A portion of a retaining wall toppled onto gravesites late last week when the earth slipped at Cloverdale's historic Riverside Cemetery
Several of Cloverdale’s founding fathers (and mothers) are resting a little uneasily these days.
The ground at Riverside Cemetery has started to slip, causing a portion of the retaining wall in a terraced area to crumble and fall over onto some of the tombstones.
Volunteer caretaker Will Layfield discovered the damage late last week and notified the City of Cloverdale, owners of the cemetery.
What steps will be taken to shore up the wall and re-stabilize it are unclear at this point.
City Engineer Paul Wade said he was just made aware of the problem and that no specific remedies had yet been decided upon.
For years, the cemetery has been plagued with sunken graves, broken headstones and damaged monuments. Folks in town chalked it up to the work of vandals, but according to Layfield’s brother, a geologist, there are two earthquake faults in the area, one on each side of the hill. The shifting ground is what is causing most of the damage.
More tombstones are in danger of severe damage if the rest of the retaining wall crumbles.
Moles are another problem. They dig under the caskets, and when it rains, water washes out the soil, causing the ground above to sink and the headstones to topple.
Layfield and other volunteers have made significant progress in repairing many of the historic headstones, but there’s not much they can do about the ground slipping away.
Cloverdale Mayor Bob Cox says he, too, just heard about the damage, and to his knowledge, nothing has been discussed so far. “This issue really upsets me,” he says, “because I am totally behind the restoration of the cemetery.”
Whether this latest problem is shifting earth or busy moles remains to be seen. Hopefully, some kind of repairs can be done to minimize further damage caused by late winter rains until a more long term solution can be found.
In the meantime, a significant part of Cloverdale’s history remains in grave danger of being lost forever.
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Thanks for the news. Will and his volunteers do a great job.
“Grave” danger is right! Cloverdale Historical Society volunteers have been working to maintain the cemetery and repair headstones for many years. I bet there are more people in the community willing to help fix this retaining wall.
This is very sad. I love the cemetery – it’s very beautiful and peaceful. I hope a solution can be found soon before all is lost.
I am happy to say it looks like the City of Cloverdale is starting to work on fixing this. I was just up there this evening with the dogs and they had it all blocked off with Caution tape.
Perhaps the city could have a booth set up @ the entrance to the upcoming Citrus Fair with pictures and information to raise awareness of the problem and take donations.
$5.00 from even half of the attendees would certainly help!