By Tina Pabst

Guilford Historical Society

It has been a long road for the white bronze angel discovered missing last March from Maplewood Cemetery in Mt. Upton. Many people responded to the distressing news by writing newspaper articles, posting flyers, and calling scrap dealers. Rebecca D.M. Todd, a professional photographer who often works with The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, and is also a cemetery enthusiast, contacted local newspapers, Hesse Galleries as well as other antique dealers, and The Fenimore Art Museum. We were bound and determined to get her back but it seemed like a long shot. An article was placed in the publication Antiques and The Arts Weekly based in Newtown, Conn. They were very concerned and more than willing to help. They have a large distribution and are known as “the bible for the antiques industry.” The Guide Magazine which circulates throughout the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountain Region also showed great concern and kindly placed a public announcement in their June issue.

Antique dealers say this problem is not unique but endemic across the country with items such as urns, fencing, tombstones, and statuary stolen from cemeteries frequently. We can only imagine that with the current economy, the problem will worsen.