|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Resting place of historic figure defiled
John and Mary Jane Marshall must be spinning in their graves. Their headstones have been stolen and the obelisk, the only marker of the couple's final resting place, has been defiled in what police are calling a hate crime.
Deep in Burke, near the volunteer fire and rescue department on Burke Road, in deep weeds and growth lies the spray-painted monument, which has become a target for beer and liquor bottles.
Over the years the only problem with the lot was that it was overgrown and untended. A 6-foot-tall chain-link fence was erected in 1990 to deter trespassers, but a section of the fence is missing now, torn away by vandals.
John Marshall was the postmaster in Burke and owned the general store. When Silas Burke died, it was Marshall who oversaw the estate for his widow.
Founding father Silas Burke was the 19th-century farmer who donated land for the railroad station, and the land surrounding the station became Burke.
Marshall died in 1892 at the age of 71. His wife died in 1886 at the age of 60. Their house was sold in the 1970s and moved near Pohick Creek, leaving the graves alone, less than 50 yards from the roadway.
Police have no suspects and have labeled the incident a hate crime because of the hammer and sickles, phalli and swastikas spray-painted on the marker and neighboring trees.
Members of the Fairfax County History Commission have been in contact with the homeowners association for the town homes adjacent to the plot, but a decision on how to repair the damage will wait until a plan is decided on.
Glen Curtis, great-great-nephew of the Marshalls and owner of the plot, said this is the second time the plot has been defiled. Curtis' sister paid for the marker and surrounding area to be cleaned last time, which was in the 1980s.
"I wish those people who did this could run into my sons," Curtis said. "They're strapping young, Christian men and they used to wrestle in high school."
You must be logged in to post a comment.