LEMON TOWNSHIP – At this quiet dock along the shore of Oxbow Lake, an interesting discovery was made just about ten feet into the woods near Tunkhannock.
A fisherman found grave markers – two Daughters of the American Revolution markers and three World War I markers.
Anglers who have been coming to Oxbow Lake for decades say it’s an odd catch.
“I was thinking that did somebody steal them from someplace else and just try to get rid of them up here?” said Lou Marino of Orange Township.
“Out here there could be old cemeteries that were probably left from the Civil War-time and stuff like that, and who knows, this area probably hasn`t been looked at or developed in any special way,” said Matthew Ostrum of Eaton Township.
State Police say a few of the markers have “Lackawanna County” stamped on them, otherwise troopers don’t know where they could have come from.
Glenn Stark is the superintendent at nearby Sunnyside Cemetery in Tunkhannock Township. He says about 15 to 20 veterans markers like the ones found at Oxbow Lake were recently taken from his cemetery.
“We had some missing over the winter and whether these items that were found, the veterans marks were from here I cannot tell you that,” said Stark.
Stark says each of these markers is standard and it’s nearly impossible to decipher where they belong. Stark plans to check with state police to see if the markers may have come from Sunnyside Cemetery.
Fishermen at Oxbow Lake say if those grave markers did end up in the woods illegally, they hope whoever may be responsible is caught.
“It sounds pretty fishy to me if they were just dumped in the woods,” said Greg Mallory of Tunkhannock.
“Why should anyone bother a grave marker or something like that, the person there is there to rest not to be bothered,” said William Belcher of Falls Township.
We checked with Wyoming County officials and there is no record of any cemeteries near Oxbow Lake.
If you know where these grave markers came from or who took them, call state police.
