This Times Leader file photo shows just a fraction of the damage sustained by Forty Fort Cemetery during the 1972 Hurricane Agnes flooding.
File Photo
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FORTY FORT — During construction on Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority’s Abrahams Creek restoration project in Forty Fort on Thursday, WVSA contractor Rutledge Construction uncovered approximately 35 headstones buried near the creek — about 300 feet from the Forty Fort Cemetery.
Officials said the headstones were displaced during the 1972 Agnes Flood that washed away an entire section of Forty Fort Cemetery.
“WVSA is working closely with Rutledge Construction, Forty Fort Cemetery Association and Forty Fort Borough to ensure the headstones are returned with the utmost respect to Forty Fort Cemetery,” said Jeff Colella, WVSA StormWater Division Manager. “We hope this discovery offers some measure of solace to the families and loved ones affected by the displacements caused by the Agnes Flood.”
Forty Fort Cemetery Association Board President Andy Tuzinski said, “We are deeply grateful to the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority, Rutledge Construction, and Forty Fort Borough for their efforts in discovering and returning these headstones to Forty Fort Cemetery. Our short-term goal is to create an area where these headstones may be placed in a respectful manner. This will give us an opportunity to research and hopefully reach out to the descendants of those who were disinterred in the aftermath of the 1972 flood. We would like to give any descendants the opportunity to take possession of the headstones and use it for their own memorial purposes as they see fit.”
Tuzinski said the long-term vision is to establish a dedicated area within the cemetery, aligned with the Abrahams Creek project, to respectfully display the recovered headstones.
“This space will include thoughtful signage detailing the impact of the 1972 Agnes Flood that displaced the headstones and the story of their rediscovery,” Tuzinski said.
The Abrahams Creek project is a mile-long stream-bank restoration and walking trail initiative, part of WVSA’s Regional Pollutant Reduction Plan designed to enhance water quality and community spaces.