Wed, Feb 10 2010
|
|
Published November 15, 2009 07:50 pm - When Melvin Hutton first set foot into the cemetery, he was shocked by what he found. About a dozen trees had fallen to the ground — likely the result of ice storms and high winds that blew through in the past few years. Joplin man restoring abandoned pet cemetery By Scott Meeker
smeeker@joplinglobe.com When Melvin Hutton first set foot into the cemetery, he was shocked by what he found. About a dozen trees had fallen to the ground — likely the result of ice storms and high winds that blew through in the past few years. Graves were sunken in, and markers noting the names of many of the dead had been removed from the ground and carelessly tossed into a corner of the property by whoever last mowed the cemetery. And judging by the height of the grass and weeds, that last mowing had been several years ago. That was on June 30. In the past few months, Hutton has spent a few hours a day working at the site of the old Joplin Humane Society pet cemetery, located behind the Veterans of Foreign Wars post on Upland Road. Now, the eternal resting places of Nanny, Jiggs, JoJo, Fancy and scores of other beloved companions are visible once again. “Animals are like kids. They’re part of your family,” Hutton said. “I can’t believe that somebody with a pet buried here would be OK with the fact that it has been left untouched.” The 65-year-old Hutton said that after the death of his wife, Janice, on Feb. 22, he needed something on which to focus. A retired school administrator from Lee’s Summit who moved to Joplin five years ago, he said he thought restoring the pet cemetery would be a “little project” he could take on, though “little” didn’t turn out to be the case. “When I first walked in there ... I saw it was going to be a bigger job than I thought it would be,” he said. Hutton said a man from Lamar drove to Joplin and cut up the downed trees for firewood. Stumps were burned, grass was given a much-needed trim, and dirt was brought in to fill in sunken graves. Each day, he is joined by Abby and Molly, his two rambunctious black pugs. He usually keeps them tied together, often with a plastic bucket dragging behind them as a way for him to keep track of their whereabouts. “Everywhere I go, they go,” Hutton said. Richard Copeland, president of the Humane Society’s board of directors, said records show that the north side of the cemetery was established in 1949. The first pet buried there was a fox terrier named Lucky who belonged to a Mrs. Garley, according to the plat book. In 1973, the cemetery was expanded to its current size. 
•
Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.
More from the Home section
Growing enrollment helps NEO weather state budget crisis Carthage residents react to baby’s death Parishioners move forward with plans to build new church
|
Print this story
E-mail this story
Post to del.icio.us
Discuss this story
Franklin Tech students showcase their talents w/ slide show
 |
 |
: Special Offer For New Subscribers
:
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
 |
|
|
Published by Newspaper Holding, Inc. 117 East Fourth Street, Joplin, MO 64801 Using our site is your agreement to the terms and conditions. News: news@joplinglobe.com • (417)623-3480 Advertise with the Joplin Globe Copyright © 2006 The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO All rights reserved. 
|
Popular Business directory links - Joplin Apartments | Joplin Attorneys | Joplin Auto Dealers | Joplin Auto Parts | Joplin Auto Repair | Joplin Beauty Salons | Joplin Car Rental | Joplin Dentists | Joplin Doctors | Joplin Flowers | Joplin Hotels | Joplin Insurance | Joplin Loans | Joplin Mortgages | Joplin Movers | Joplin Pizza | Joplin Realtors | Joplin Restaurants | Joplin Storage | Joplin Tax Preparation | Joplin Travel | Joplin Featured | More...
|
|
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. • CNHI Classified Advertising Network • CNHI News Service |
