by Carol Thompson

As the treasure hunt game of “letterboxing” becomes more popular, cemetery caretakers envision a problem similar to one that escalated several years ago.

Letterboxing is a game that involves the hiding of containers in locations around the county. Participants carry a rubber stamp and ink pad to mark a paper left inside a container. The game is becoming popular throughout the United States.

The game is conducted at various locations throughout the county, including school grounds, historic sites, scenic areas, and cemeteries, according to a website devoted to the game.

Several legislators heard complaints from residents when the official county website reported on the game and included a reference to participating in a local cemetery.

Legislator Morris Sorbello said no one should be entering a cemetery for amusement purposes without permission from the caretaker.

The caretakers agree and are not pleased that amusement enthusiasts have once again taken to cemeteries for game playing.

“We have pretty strict rules,” said the caretaker for Riverside Cemetery, one of the sites listed as having the hidden treasures. “You would think someone would ask permission to do something like that. It would have to go through the board for their approval.”

Containers found in Riverside Cemetery will be confiscated, the caretaker noted.

Legislator Doug Malone, who is involved with the Irish Settlement Cemetery, said he does not believe visiting a cemetery for amusement purposes is appropriate, but he would like to see the county do more promotion of local cemeteries for historical and educational reasons.

“It’s behind,” he said of the county’s website. “They should list all of the cemeteries in the county with some information about each one.”

The Irish Settlement Cemetery is public, Malone noted, making it more difficult to control activities.

Malone has been involved with the restoration of the cemetery, including the replacement of stones and upkeep of the grounds.

Other cemetery caretakers contacted said that amusement games of any type are prohibited and if they are for historical or educational purposes, the organizations would need permission to carry out any activities that are not incorporated into their rules.

For some caretakers, there is concern that the treasure box game could result in the same problems of trespass and vandalism that occurred when the game “Dungeons and Dragons” was being played out in cemeteries.

“That game became such a problem,” one caretaker noted. “Don’t even get me started on the problems we had with it.”

Others said that they had to have additional patrolling to discourage participants from playing the game, especially after hours.

The county has removed from their website the reference to participating in the treasure hunt at a local cemetery following complaints.

Although it was on the website for less that 24 hours, word of it spread quickly as did the complaints.

Several caretakers said they were pleased the county removed the reference.