23 November, 2011
Dear colleagues, friends and family,
The reason I’m here is a great surprise and story.
A few weeks ago, when I moved my art studio, I decided to find a permanent home for the stone. As it wasn’t obvious how to go about finding “home” for a tombstone without a provenance, so I turned to the great marketplace of exchange: EBay. As I listed it for sale, I imagined that the tombstone would end up in a collection or a museum specializing in the history of the American West. I never dreamed that the real story of Lena Davis’s tombstone would be that it was stolen from a small cemetery in Polk, Nebraska.
Yesterday, I had the incredible pleasure of returning the tombstone to Polk. Here are some links to the press on the event (and yes, it made the evening news):
http://www.1011now.com/video?clipId=6482003&topVideoCatNo=91962&autoStart=true
http://www.1011now.com/home/headlines/Stolen_Tombstone_Returns_to_Polk_60_Years_Later_134370273.html
http://yorknewstimes.com/articles/2011/11/23/news/doc4ecc6b1773e5f297826956.txt
Along the way to Nebraska, I’ve met Lena Davis’s first cousin, as well as the amateur genealogist who put the pieces of the puzzle together about Lena Davis’s tombstone. It has been an incredible experience to understand what the tombstone means to so many: as both a family and an historical record. Lena’s first cousin has helped me understand that the cemetery is in fact a museum of history, both local and national. And now my role as caretaker of the stone has evolved.
I’ve decided, with the help of many of you, to document the story of “Taking Lena Home” in an effort to tell all the stories involved in the return of the tombstone to Polk. It is an opportunity to explore the stories around the tombstone, the importance of local historical and genealogical work… and plus it’s just a good yarn. (Yes, it’s true, I was pulled over by a state trooper for speeding who then forgave the ticket upon seeing the tombstone in my car).
So I ask you to support the project on USA Projects. This is a community effort, and I will need your help to get this project made!
http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/taking_lena_home
In the long term, I will also be working with the family and the Polk community to start a fund for the care of the stone and the cemetery, so I will keep you posted on that too.
Your support of this surprising project means the world to me (and to a web of many others!).
Best wishes to you at Thanksgiving!
Alexandra
Photo credit: Eric Eckert
