ALWAYS WALK LIGHTLY UPON CEMETERY GROUNDS
SHOWING RESPECT FOR THOSE RESTING HERE
OAK HILL CEMETERY
EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. ... "Geocachers must complete the tasks before they log the EarthCache as found." (4.3. EarthCache logging tasks)
Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:
Oak Hill Cemetery was established Dec 1883 by Phillip Webster, a local undertaker, on the hillside the Lincoln Farm. In 1885 eight more acres from the Raub Farm was added, making it 17 acres. By 1896, nearly 1900 people were buried here. A Civil War soldiers plot was added in 1907; Firemen's plot was added in 1909. The transfer of bodies from Littleton Burial Grounds (1833-1885) in Bradford started in 1885. By 2003, 120 years later, over 16, 000 are buried here. Oak Hill overlooks Bradford, PA. Currently, Oak Hill Cemetery has 30 acres, 7,000 markers, and 13,000 internments.
Park outside the gate. Then walk to the gravestones. Although you can drive to the posted coordinates, it is not an easy drive.
At the posted coordinates are five gravesites. The two on the right are made of granite. The two on the left are made of sandstone.
1. MESSAGE …. Observe the two granite gravestones on the right. Use the chart to indicate all the forms of weathering you observe.
2. MESSAGE …. Observe the two granite gravestones on the right. Describe all the types of weathering you observe.
3. MESSAGE …. Observe the three sandstone gravestones on the left. Use the chart to indicate all the forms of weathering you observe.
4. MESSAGE …. Observe the three sandstone gravestones on the left. Describe all the types of weathering you observe.
5. MESSAGE …. Explain why there is such a difference between the two gravestones on the right and the three gravestones on the left.
6. LOG …. Post a picture of you or your signature item at or near the posted coordinates. This picture is your log signature. No spoiler pictures.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding A B C to your log.
A. Visit a memorial honoring our fallen heroes. Post a picture at the memorial. Label picture with name and location of memorial.
B. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.
C. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you ... prose / story / poem / picture. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
THANK YOU John Watson (President Oak Hill Cemetery Association) for permission to share this learning adventure.
GRAVESTONE WEATHERING
The three main rocks used for burial are sandstone, granite, and marble. Sandstone was popular in the 1800s and early 1900s. Later gravestones were made of granite and marble because they are more resistant to weathering.
TYPES OF WEATHERING
Weathering is the breaking down of rock into smaller fragments. All rock weathers over time. Grains of sediment fall out. Cracks develop on the surface and deep inside. Weathering causes rocks to fracture, buckle, and crumble into soil and sediment. There are two types of weathering - mechanical and chemical.
MECHANICAL WEATHERING - Mechanical weathering breaks apart rocks without changing their chemical composition. Each fragment and particle weathered away by a mechanical process retains the same characteristics as the original rock.
TEMPERATURE - Different minerals expand and contract at varying rates. Temperature changes occur in both day-night and seasonal cycles. Frost shattering or ice wedging is due to the expansion of ice.
WIND - The abrasive action of wind causes separation of rock particles from the parent rock.
WATER - The abrasive action of water also causes separation of rock particles from the parent rock.
GRAVITY - As rocks tumble downward, abrasion causes separation of rock particles from parent rock.
CHEMICAL WEATHERING - Chemical weathering occurs when water, air, and other substances react with the minerals in rock. In chemical weathering, the composition of the rock changes
WATER - Water dissolves minerals in rocks, producing new compounds.
OXYGEN - Oxygen reacts with rocks, changing the color of rocks.
ACIDS - Produced when water reacts with the atmosphere.
LIGHTNING STRIKES - The immense energy completely changes the rock.
BIOLOGICAL WEATHERING (Mechanical/Chemical) - Living organisms contribute to mechanical weathering through the growth of roots or the burrowing of animals. Tree roots grow into cracks and joints, increasing the surface area for continual weathering by plants, wind, and water. Plants give off organic acids as part of their life and decay processes. These acids help to break down rocks chemically. Decaying remains of dead animals in soil may form organic acids which, when dissolved in water, cause chemical weathering.
VASCULAR PLANTS (larger and grow out from the rocks) - Plant roots and seedlings sprouting in a crevice exert physical pressure as well as providing a pathway for water and chemical infiltration. The evidence that some soil is present is found in the plants which appear to be growing "out" of the rock. In reality, these plants have roots that are growing in soil that is located in the cracks of the rock.
NONVASCULAR PLANTS (smaller and cover surface of rocks) - Lichens and mosses grow on essentially bare rock surfaces and create a more humid chemical microenvironment. The attachment of these organisms to the rock surface enhances physical as well as chemical breakdown of the surface microlayer of the rock.
ANIMALS - Burrowing animals and insects disturb the soil layer adjacent to the bedrock surface thus further increasing water and acid infiltration and exposure to oxidation processes.
FORMS OF WEATHERING
RESOURCES
Cemetery Rarities https://coord.info/GC8KQDY
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/45651/oak-hill-cemetery#:~:text=Oak%20Hill%20overlooks%20Bradford%2C%20PA,1900%20people%20were%20buried%20here.
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/earth-sciences/impact/public-engagement/londons-geology/londons-geology-fieldwork/st-pancras-gardens/gravestone
https://woodlandcemeteryhistory.wordpress.com/2019/06/20/weathering-stone-a-love-story/
https://www.bradfordlandmark.org/index.php?Bradford%20Oldest%20Cemeteries
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/photos-old-guard-places-flags-at-arlington-national-cemetery-headstones-ahead-of-memorial-day/16266/
This series is dedicated to my dad who served in World War II.
GOD’S PROMISE …. A MOTHER’S LOVE
Told by my uncle (Joseph) ... And my father (Anthony)
Family was seated around the table on Thanksgiving Day when my uncle related why he and his brother returned home safely from the war.
Unbeknownst to my uncle aboard the carrier transporting him across the Atlantic, his ship was targeted by an underwater submarine. There were flashes in the distance that he later learned was the submarine being destroyed.
While stationed in Europe, his base was targeted by enemy fire. He awoke to the sound of the thundering of bombs exploding and saw the dark sky turn bright as the noonday sun. Men were scrambling for safety, but he remained seated with a peace that passeth all understanding. When the carnage was over, he looked down. There was a piece of shrapnel lodged just above his heart, but had not penetrated through his clothing.
Similarly, unbeknownst to my father aboard the carrier transporting him across the Pacific, his ship was targeted by an underwater submarine. There were flashes in the distance that he later learned was the submarine being destroyed.
My father loved to be amongst nature whenever and wherever. One day he was comfortably seated below a tree in the jungles of Australia. He laid his helmet beside him and was enjoying the peace of the moment. When it was time to leave, he reached for his helmet but was guided to look within before placing it upon his head. There sat a poisonous spider which would have surely been his demise. He dislodged the spider and returned to camp.
One day while on her knees communing with the Creator, my grandmother prayed for her sons to return home safely. She arose from prayer knowing God’s hand was upon her sons and they would return unharmed.
And so it was, many close encounters, but my uncle and my father each made it safely home. It was there the two brothers learned of God’s Promise and their Mother’s Love.