SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
December 29, 2021
Sullivan’s Salvos 1/4/22
In this edition:
*Welcome to 2022!
*Tony in the House!
*Joe Manchin
*Real Research
*Poor Farm Cemetery
*Did You Know?
*Welcome to 2022!
Happy New Year! Here’s to a better and brighter year ahead! I have never been big on New Year’s resolutions – you can see that by my weight! But I certainly welcome the “fresh start” feel of the New Year. I hope 2022 is good to you and yours!
*Tony in the House!
My good friend Tony Currin has announced his candidacy for Iowa House District 89 in southern Iowa City. I am really excited for Tony, and excited for the people of HD89!
Tony checks a lot of demographic boxes – he is a gay African American labor activist who is also a US Army Vet. He has spent thousands of hours volunteering for various candidates and causes. More importantly, Tony is extremely intelligent, hardworking, compassionate, caring, and friendly. Tony will do a great job for HD89!
I do not live in the District, but I strongly support Tony Currin for HD89! You can learn more about Tony’s campaign at: https://www.facebook.com/tonyintheh0use.
*Joe Manchin
If you are like me, you are convinced that there is a special place in Hell for the Senator from West Virginia. Seldom in American history has a single person had the power to help so many and refused. It is truly appalling.
But please remember two things:
1.) Biden and Dems in the US House and Senate still need to work with Manchin. They undoubtedly feel even worse than we do. But they still have to try to squeeze some decency from him.
2.) We are in this predicament because *ZERO* Republicans will vote for any piece of Biden’s agenda. ZERO. Not one vote for poor children. Not one vote for parental or medical leave. Not one vote to expand Medicare. Not one vote to address climate change. Not one vote for taxing the super rich. Not one!
Remember these things when we talk to our neighbors and friends! Manchin will be gone soon, but most of the opposition will remain.
*Real Research
I saw a Facebook post yesterday about COVID. One of the posters was complaining about his opinion being dismissed. He said, "Do you have any idea how long I've been studying this stuff?"
The guy is in the music industry, not science. So I am going to assume his interest in COVID started about the time it became news. He might have begun studying in January 2020, though March 2020 is more likely.
Does he understand how long it takes to get a Ph.D. in Epidemiology? Four years for a Batchelor's Degree. Then if you can even get in, 3 years for a Master’s Degree. Then if you are brilliant and can get in, 5 years for a Ph.D. Then you'll probably need to do a post doc for a couple years. That is 14 years of really challenging school. 50 hours per week for 14 years, learning from some of the smartest people we have. Then you go to work on your own research, and continue the learning process for yourself and others.
Virologist? That is even more difficult and perhaps longer. Pulmonologist? Same thing. Cardiologist? Same thing.
These are some of the very smartest people and best students our education system produces. (And not just ours. The whole planet has Ph.D. students at American universities.) They spend whole lifetimes studying this stuff.
The idea that their work is not questioned? Unbelievable. My wife is a scientist. Every single thing she does is questioned. Once you can get it through your own lab, it goes for peer review. These people are smart, and they are gunning for you. They desperately WANT to find your mistakes. Then it goes through a process to be accepted in a journal - yet another review. Then it is published, and people attempt to replicate it.
So you spent two and a half years on the internet researching whatever Q said? Congratulations. You are only 14 years of incredibly challenging school away from me giving a shit what you think.
*Poor Farm Cemetery
As you may know, Johnson County has been gradually making improvements to the Historic Poor Farm. Small farmers and nonprofits are farming the land. Almost all of the buildings have been refurbished. Environmental efforts are at work. Signage, driveway, and parking improvements will be finished this spring. It is truly on the verge of being one of the coolest spots in Johnson County!
One particular area has been problematic, however. The Poor Farm has an onsite cemetery. Unfortunately, there are very few records available, and the whole area had simply been marked with a large wooden cross. Obviously, this site has significant cultural significance. But what in the world do we do with it? We don’t even know the actual boundaries. And the last thing we want to do is behave insensitively when human remains are involved.
Luckily, there have been a couple of specialists from the University of Iowa who have brought their expertise to bear on the project. Back in 2009, Dr. Glen Story from the UI used ground penetrating radar to look at the area. He determined that there were very likely graves present.
That led us to engage Dr. Jennifer Mack from the UI. After explaining to us how they could do so in a culturally sensitive manner, she and her crew spent several months digging 5 trenches at the site. Dr. Mack recently released a report to the Board as to her findings.
The Poor Farm came into existence in 1855, and it is conceivable that burials began taking place right away. By that point in local history, many townships had already established cemeteries, but the spot at the Poor Farm would have been used for the indigent. While burials began in 1855, the records are poor. We really don’t know who or how many people were buried there until about 1880, when better records were kept. The last recorded burial there was in 1901.
Adding to the confusion are several historical questions. Were “typical” burial processes followed in the case of transients? What about people with severe disabilities, who were often discriminated against in other ways? There are some records of bodies from the Poor Farm being used by the UIHC to train doctors; what happened with those remains? Could less typical burial processes (think mass graves) have been used in some cases? These are but a few of the many questions that remain.
Dr. Mack’s findings are really interesting. She estimates a maximum of 245 individuals are buried in this spot. She wowed us with a slide show that demonstrated how they look for disturbances in the soil, and how they match up perfectly with graves. I was floored by the number 245, but perhaps I shouldn’t have been. 1855-1900 is 45 years; that is only 6 burials per year. And people who lived at the Poor Farm undoubtedly died at higher rates than the general public.
There were other fascinating bits of data. There are several very small graves, about the size of pediatric graves you would see today. Are these actually children? If so, why so many? If not, why use such a small plot?
Unfortunately, we may never have all the answers. But thanks to Dr. Mack’s work, we now know much more than we did. We now have an area we can protect, mark, and treat with the reverence it deserves.
Soon there will be a better cemetery marker, and an interpretive sign explaining both what we know and the questions that remain in terms of the Poor Farm Cemetery.
*DID YOU KNOW? The history of the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm was captured in the listing of the site on the National Register of Historic Places in September of 2014. This report, conducted by Leah Rogers, Director of Tallgrass Historians, outlines a very detailed account of the genesis of Poor Farms in America, the historic building structures, and the day-to-day life of residents.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 1:50 PM
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