a similar situation
on a smaller scale
http://www.republicanherald.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18675927&BRD=2626&PAG=461&dept_id=536271&rfi=8
08/08/2007
They were there to clean up trash.
They wound up unearthing a mystery.
Tuesday morning, as a team of about six Christian volunteers working with Schuylkill Community Action’s Elm Street Project were cleaning up a wooded area across from Maroons Sports Bar and Grill on North Centre Street in downtown Pottsville, they found something unexpected — a 19th century granite tombstone covered in dirt and debris.
“I saw a corner of it and thought, OK, we’ll dig it out,” said Paul Sexton, a volunteer from Chews United Methodist Church, Blackwood, N.J. “Then I went to lift it and realized, oh, it’s a little too heavy.”
It took about five volunteers to lift the tombstone, which Sexton guessed weighed between 450 and 500 pounds.
“My Husband, Mark McAllister Born April 6, 1832 Died April 18, 1878 Aged 46 YRS 12 DYS,” read the engraving on the tombstone.
“They called me and told me they found a tombstone,” said Mike McGeever, Elm Street Project manager. “I thought they were joking.”
It was no joke, though, as city police, Historical Society of Schuylkill County members and other volunteers came by to inspect the headstone.
“This really highlights the history of this area,” McGeever said. “What’s interesting is, they’re here to help the city’s future, and they discover something from the city’s past.”
The discovery raised questions, such as how did the tombstone get there?
“That’s where the marble yard was, and the marble yard made tombstones for people,” said Leo Ward, historical society president.
The George L. Schreader Pottsville Granite and Marbleworks is listed in the city directory as being located at 537-539 N. Centre St. from 1893 to 1917, said Pete Yasenchak, historical society director.
However, the date of death on the tombstone is 1878, some 15 years before George L. Schreader Pottsville Granite and Marbleworks appears in the city directory.
Yasenchak said Schreader worked as a stonecutter prior to opening the shop, but it was unclear if he, or anyone else, was making tombstones at that location in the 1870s.
Adding to the mystery is the fact that Mark McAllister is actually buried in Charles Baber Cemetery on Market Street in Pottsville, complete with a tombstone.
The headstone at the cemetery is more square than the one found on Centre Street, and a lighter shade of gray. There is less wording, reading simply, “Mark McAllister Died April 18, 1878.”
McAllister’s headstone sits next to that of his wife, Elizabeth (James) McAllister, who died May 20, 1903.
Little information could be found about the McAllisters on Tuesday. Only one listing was found for Mark McAllister in the 1877-1878 city directory, Becki White, head reference librarian for the Pottsville Free Public Library, said.
“He is listed as living at 422 W. Bacon St., Pottsville,” she said. “There’s no mention of him in the two or three directories prior to or after that time.”
Why two tombstones were made also remains unclear, although Mark Major, executive director of the Schuylkill County Vistors Bureau and local historian and author, offered a theory.
“Probably they made an extra one for promotional purposes, so they could say, ‘Here’s an example of our work, here’s what we can do,’ ” he said.
Pottsville police are also checking into the possibility of the tombstone being stolen, Sgt. Steven Durkin said.
Following its discovery, the tombstone was taken by backhoe to the city garage. No further information on what will be done with the tombstone was available Tuesday night.
Some were dated in the early 20s some as recent as the 90s.I left to go find a phone and found an officer near by.Told him what i found and we both went back to the house.He to had shocked look on his face and told me he would write up a report on it.Was this an old family plot or were they stolen?The area dates back to 1890 so who knows. 
AA
