|
Summarized by Kent Larsen
LDS Church Takes Mountain-Meadows Buttons to Arkansas
HARRISON, ARKANSAS -- The LDS Church decided last week to give the artifacts
accidentally uncovered last year at Mountain Meadows to a Museum in
Harrison, Arkansas. Glen Leonard, director of the LDS Church's Museum of
Church History and Art, traveled to Harrison on Friday to "indefinately
loan" the artifacts to the Carroll County Historical Society.
The disposition of the artifacts, which include five glass buttons, a steel
button, an iron nut believed to be a wagon wheel nut, and pottery shards,
became controversial last week as the Church tried to decide between
conflicting groups of relatives of the victims. The Utah-based Mountain
Meadows Association, headed by Ron Loving, at whose annual meeting Leonard
presented the artifacts to the Museum, wanted the artifacts placed in a
museum and argued that the artifacts belong to the victim's next-of-kin,
like any property found at a crime scene.
But, Scott Fancher, disagreed over the disposition of the artifacts,
however, saying that they should be re-buried with the remains of the
victims, like anything else accidentally uncovered at a grave site. When the
controversy came to light last week, Fancher even asked Utah's state
archaeologist Kevin Jones for an opinion on what should happen to the
artifacts. Jones ruled they should be re-buried at Mountain Meadows.
While the Church decided to put the artifacts in Arkansas at the Carroll
County Historical Society, which already displays other artifacts related to
the massacre, it has hedged its bets, placing the artifacts there on
indefinite loan, so that the Church can request that they be returned if it
needs or wishes in the future.
Sources:
Mormons give artifacts tied to massacre to Arkansas museum
Little Rock AR Democrat-Gazette 10Sep00 N1
By John Magsam: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Artifacts Head for Museum, Mountain Meadows buttons go to Arkansas
Salt Lake Tribune 10Sep00 N1
By Christopher Smith: Salt Lake Tribune
See also:
Backhoe Accident Ruined LDS Church's Attempt To Bury Mountain Meadows
Mountain Meadows Relics Raise New Controversy
Mormon News' Coverage of the Mountain Meadows Massacre Site
|
