Canines help discover forgotten history
| houston_chronicle_october_14_2021_pa3.pdf |
Dogs help identify unmarked graves at Montgomery cemetery
Noor Adatia, Staff writer
Oct. 12, 2021Updated: Oct. 12, 2021 1:23 p.m.
Bean, a Labrador Retriever with K-9 Search and Rescue of Texas, works with his handler, Mary Jane, to locate unmarked graves at Old Methodist Cemetery, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in Montgomery. Many early burials in the 181-year-old site are not believed to have stone markers.
Specially trained dogs sniffed around at the Old Methodist Cemetery Saturday morning to identify forgotten and unmarked graves at the historic site.
The project is an effort from the Montgomery Historical Society to locate unmarked bodies that have been buried for more than 100 years. The cemetery stopped allowing families to bury people after 1868.
Ann Meador, who represented the society for this event, noted there are “a lot more” people buried at the cemetery than there are markers. “Back in the day, oftentimes they had wooden crosses or markers which have deteriorated over time,” Meador explained. “Eventually you have a cemetery that has a few tombstones, but the wooden markers have gone.”
The so-called “cadaver” dogs, who trained with the K-9 Search and Rescue Unit of Texas, were also used to help identify bodies at the Conroe Community Cemetery last March.
On yourcouriernews.com: Cadaver dogs help discover forgotten graves at Conroe cemetery
Mary Jane Boyd, founder of the canine organization, said she viewed the invitation from the Society as a community service opportunity. “It’s good training for our dogs and good for us,” Boyd said.
Boyd said the dogs have been trained to pick up on the scent of human remains. After two dogs pick up on a scent, a person will put a flag down in the dirt. She noted that the conditions of the ground at Old Methodist on Saturday made it more difficult for the dogs to pick up on the scent. “When something in the soil is really dense and hard packed, it’s hard for the scent to get out,” she explained.
Despite the density of the soil, the two K9 dogs, Emmett and Bean, were able to identify five new graves on Saturday.
The spots marked at the site will later be confirmed using a Ground Penetrating Radar which penetrates the ground and can detect a mass underground. The system, which costs tens of thousands of dollars, is a more definite way to ensure an unmarked body is buried.
Meador, who also serves on the board of the Conroe Community Center, said it is important to acknowledge the existence of the people who died in these graves and recognize their contributions to society.
Old Methodist Cemetery currently has two cenotaphs — one that honors Methodist preachers who established churches in Texas and another that honors Revolutionary War soldier Owen Shannon who is said to have been buried in Montgomery. Cenotaphs are monuments that honor a person whose remains are buried elsewhere.
“We think it’s important to recognize the culture that existed here before the present-day people did,” she said. “These people are the people who have made the community what they are now. We’re standing on their shoulders.”
[email protected]
Written By
Noor Adatia
Noor Adatia, Staff writer
Oct. 12, 2021Updated: Oct. 12, 2021 1:23 p.m.
Bean, a Labrador Retriever with K-9 Search and Rescue of Texas, works with his handler, Mary Jane, to locate unmarked graves at Old Methodist Cemetery, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in Montgomery. Many early burials in the 181-year-old site are not believed to have stone markers.
Specially trained dogs sniffed around at the Old Methodist Cemetery Saturday morning to identify forgotten and unmarked graves at the historic site.
The project is an effort from the Montgomery Historical Society to locate unmarked bodies that have been buried for more than 100 years. The cemetery stopped allowing families to bury people after 1868.
Ann Meador, who represented the society for this event, noted there are “a lot more” people buried at the cemetery than there are markers. “Back in the day, oftentimes they had wooden crosses or markers which have deteriorated over time,” Meador explained. “Eventually you have a cemetery that has a few tombstones, but the wooden markers have gone.”
The so-called “cadaver” dogs, who trained with the K-9 Search and Rescue Unit of Texas, were also used to help identify bodies at the Conroe Community Cemetery last March.
On yourcouriernews.com: Cadaver dogs help discover forgotten graves at Conroe cemetery
Mary Jane Boyd, founder of the canine organization, said she viewed the invitation from the Society as a community service opportunity. “It’s good training for our dogs and good for us,” Boyd said.
Boyd said the dogs have been trained to pick up on the scent of human remains. After two dogs pick up on a scent, a person will put a flag down in the dirt. She noted that the conditions of the ground at Old Methodist on Saturday made it more difficult for the dogs to pick up on the scent. “When something in the soil is really dense and hard packed, it’s hard for the scent to get out,” she explained.
Despite the density of the soil, the two K9 dogs, Emmett and Bean, were able to identify five new graves on Saturday.
The spots marked at the site will later be confirmed using a Ground Penetrating Radar which penetrates the ground and can detect a mass underground. The system, which costs tens of thousands of dollars, is a more definite way to ensure an unmarked body is buried.
Meador, who also serves on the board of the Conroe Community Center, said it is important to acknowledge the existence of the people who died in these graves and recognize their contributions to society.
Old Methodist Cemetery currently has two cenotaphs — one that honors Methodist preachers who established churches in Texas and another that honors Revolutionary War soldier Owen Shannon who is said to have been buried in Montgomery. Cenotaphs are monuments that honor a person whose remains are buried elsewhere.
“We think it’s important to recognize the culture that existed here before the present-day people did,” she said. “These people are the people who have made the community what they are now. We’re standing on their shoulders.”
[email protected]
Written By
Noor Adatia
