IMPORTANT NOTE: After visiting the gravesite, I believe that any discussion of improving public safety must include addressing the inherent safety concerns of the anachronistic access road (driveway) to the cemetery. The existence of this driveway in its current position and state has been deemed hazardous by sworn affidavit in the court documents. The increased traffic to the cemetery after moving the Leatherman’s remains to a “safer” location, and “promote interest in historical matters” will thus lead to even more visitors, thus more danger while entering and exiting. I had my wife and 3 year old in the car with me, and would not use that road to visit the site. (More info and pics here)
Public Safety: (Independent of promoting public interest in historical matters)
1. Petition the state or locality for Route 9 near Sparta Cemetery to be changed to a “reduced speed zone”
2. Increase signage directing visitors to use Revolutionary Road access
3. Update and improve Revolutionary Road access to cemetery
4. Close off, and discontinue public use of the current access road to the cemetery, which has been deemed unsafe by the petitioner’s own traffic consultant. Install a locked gate to allow maintenance vehicles to enter when necessary.
5. Close off, and discontinue any use of the current access road to the cemetery. Build a wall in the southeast corner of the cemetery, providing a quiet, secure, corner where the “paupers row” currently exists.
Promoting Public Interest in Historical and Genealogical Matters (Independent of Public Safety)
6. Add a page to the OHS website permanently dedicated to Leatherman information and research initiatives.
7. Set up a permanent display in Historical Society Museum on The Leatherman. Actively seek donations of artifacts/literature/memorabilia, or set up a fund dedicated to the purchase of such artifacts should they become available.
8. Commission the establishment of a “Leatherman Research Consortium” made up of historians, librarians, journalists, and others who would agree to volunteer their talents and resources to trace the trail the Leatherman took in life. Everyday, volumes of data are being digitized, including periodicals and newspapers of the Leatherman’s era, some of which require professional license to access.
9. Host events with guest speakers and storytellers to share Leatherman lore and new research.
10. Provide detailed information for tourists with instructions on how to safely visit the Sparta Cemetery to visit the new “Leatherman Memorial”.
11. Work with local tourism bureaus to promote the new memorial as a place of historical interest, once safety issues have been fully resolved.
In addition to the suggestions above: (Combining public safety, and promoting historical interest)
A. Relocate the Old Leatherman’s headstone and replace it with one with accurate information, in a safer area. The cemetery owners would maintain in perpetuity the actual coordinates of the assumed location of his remains, should “heirs” ever come forward, or the state demand that grave sites must be dug up to widen the road. This option saves money, keeps his remains undisturbed, keeps the legend and his memory alive, corrects misinformation, takes how he lived his life into full consideration, acknowledges public opinion, Done on its own, keeps large groups safe at the site of the new marker, done in conjunction with 4, or 5 above, increases safety for ALL visitors to Sparta Cemetery by eliminating the #1 danger, the unsafe and inadequate one-lane, dead-end access road (Driveway) on Rt 9
B. Replace The Old Leatherman’s headstone with one with accurate information at current location. Keeps his remains undisturbed, keeps the legend and his memory alive, corrects misinformation, takes how he lived his life into consideration, acknowledges public opinion, When done in conjunction with 4, or 5 above: keeps everyone visiting the cemetery safer by eliminating the #1 danger, the unsafe and inadequate one-lane, dead-end access road (driveway) on Rt 9
C. Exhume and move The Old Leatherman’s remains to safer location, and replace headstone with new one containing accurate information. Keeps the legend and his memory alive, corrects misinformation, takes how he lived his life into consideration, acknowledges public opinion. By itself, keeps visitors safer while viewing the grave site. When done in conjunction with 4 or 5 above: Keeps everyone visiting the cemetery safer by eliminating the #1 danger, the unsafe and inadequate one-lane, dead-end access road (driveway) to Rt 9
D. Exhume and move Leatherman’s remains to safer location, perform forensic gross morphological examination of remains on site, and replace headstone with new one containing accurate information. Keeps the legend and his memory alive, corrects misinformation, gathers new empirical data through non-destructive observation, takes how he lived his life into some consideration, acknowledges some public opinion. (No taking and destruction of anatomical gifts from his remains) By itself, keeps visitors safer while viewing the grave site. When done in conjunction with 4 or 5 above: Keeps everyone visiting the cemetery safer by eliminating the #1 danger, the unsafe and inadequate one-lane, dead-end access road (driveway) to Rt 9
*Current Plan (To take place in the Spring or Summer of 2011)
Exhume and move Leatherman’s remains to safer location, perform comprehensive forensic testing including gross morphological examination of remains on site, the taking of anatomical gifts to be analyzed off site for DNA extraction, the possible removal of the skull to off site location for CT scan for facial reconstruction. Re-bury remains and replace headstone with new one containing accurate information. Access road will remain as is. Keeps his memory and legend? alive, corrects misinformation, gathers new empirical data through observation, testing, and subsequent destruction of small portions of his remains. Improves safety of large supervised groups and individuals while visiting the Leatherman’s gravesite.
