Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites

CPMBS Logo

We have chosen for our logo, the “pot-bellied” rooster, as portrayed on the grave of Naomi Woolworth
who died in 1760 and is buried in the Longmeadow Cemetery in Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
The rooster or cock is associated, symbolically, with the qualities of
victory, courage, vigilance, and repentance.
Vigilance represents the Coalition’s watchfulness in guarding against the desecration of
burial sites in Maryland and repentance expresses our sincere desire
to right this wrong through public awareness and remedial justice.

Coalition To Protect Maryland Burial Sites, Inc.
P. O. Box 1533
Ellicott City, MD 21041-1533

The Coalition was formed in the summer of 1991 to address concerns not covered by existing laws and organizations. Membership is open to Marylanders and others
who care about their heritage and their ancestors.

Coalition members appreciate the importance of burial sites as hallowed grounds, irreplaceable cultural resources, and sources of valuable genealogical data,
often found nowhere else. The Coalition recognizes that many burial sites are established through a purchased right of burial that is protected by the laws of Maryland,
with such right passing on to the relatives of the deceased, and which right cannot lawfully be abridged by others at will.

Most of us imagine a burial as a respectful and dignified laying to rest of a person who touched our lives and contributed to our culture. In time, however,
burial sites, left unprotected, can fall victim to expediency and the impulsive exploitation by others who are seeking a short-term economic or personal goal.
The Coalition believes that the willful desecration or destruction of burial sites is unacceptable in a civilized society.

Learn more about us by reading about our Objectives.

21st Annual Meeting
Saturday, May 5, 2012
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Historic Christ Episcopal Church and Cemetery
Oakland Mills Road, Columbia,
Howard County

Click on our Annual Meeting page for more information

Please Note: The Coalition does not maintain a list of cemetery locations or individual burials in Maryland.
We recommend that you visit the Related Links page or the County Pages for links to
Internet sites that may assist you in locating burial grounds and individual burials in Maryland.