Thanks to centuries of unfathomable inhumanity, criminal fraud, abuse and neglect, Eastern Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky is the most overburied cemetery in the United States. What does that mean? Where 30,000 souls were intended to rest, now well over 100,000 are believed to be buried there. The indigent, enslaved, veterans, babies who died whose desperate mothers were promised a respectful burial in exchange for money — for no other reason than insatiable greed, these poor souls and countless others ended up in “graves (that) contained the remains of as many as six people,” according to University of Louisville archeologist, Phil DiBlasi. “Graves containing the remains of three or four are common.”
We may never know how many souls were tossed away like trash and forgotten here, who they were, or how many families were betrayed in this multi-generational death-for-profit scam. Thankfully, even grim numbers like these aren’t enough to keep a few of the defiant living from the arduous work of what I call course correction.
To that end, meet Laura: boat-rocker and an underdog’s fiercest ally in 5-inch stilettos. Her husband Bobby's family has been in funeral service in Louisville since 1865. Laura herself is now a funeral director. Their efforts, in concert with those of Friends of Eastern Cemetery, aim to restore in death a bit of the peace, respect, and dignity so routinely denied in life to Eastern's lost souls. This work will never be finished. But even in the face of such an impossible task, there is a bit of grace to be found in this back-breaking work. Folks who might otherwise find it hard to see eye to eye on much of anything routinely stand shoulder to shoulder in this constantly regenerating David & Goliath tableau. Pain still flourishes in this soil, to be sure. But thanks to folks like Laura, her husband and so many other volunteers, a fragile, undeniable beauty is blossoming here too. Living or dead, if you're lucky enough to have Laura in your corner, it’s fair to say you've done something right.
PS... If you're in Louisville and you'd like to help supplant some deeply rooted pain with some much needed love and respect, grab a rake or bring a mower, and meet Laura there most Sundays.