HOMEMADE SIGN OVER THE LITTLE IVY CHURCH CEMETERY DURING GRAVE REMOVAL, MARS HILL.

To the editor:
June 3, 1996, is a day deeply etched in the hearts of so many people. On that day people gathered at Little Ivy Baptist Church Cemetery in Mars Hill to witness an event which will be with us forever: the moving of our cemetery.

First the headstones were removed. Then the graves began to be opened. When exhumed, there were intact vaults which contained the earthly remains of our loved ones, but there were also many graves which contained only the skeletal remains.

To view the vaults as well as the skeletal remains of loved ones is one of the deepest pains an individual could ever feel. The memories of losing mother, my husband, a brother-in-law, other relatives and friends came rushing back. People were at the cemetery every day for long periods of time trying to find answers and solace. The sadness, the hurt, the numbness we feel is almost beyond words. The next incident will be the destruction of our church.

Why did all this have to happen? We have been told that it is due to “progress,” the building of the new Interstate 26 superhighway. Was it really necessary to inflict so much pain and sorrow by those who made the decisions to move the cemetery and destroy the church? What are the real reasons all this had to happen? Perhaps those decision makers have never experienced this kind of an event. Or if they have, perhaps they have no emotions whatsoever. But be assured, there are many of us who are affected by your actions. We certainly feel the pain you are causing.

Mrs. Delzie Rasmussan