A piece of Oxford history is crumbling and the township board wants to find out what it would take to fix it.
The township’s cemetery committee is seeking bids from structural engineers to examine the 116-year-old mausoleum, located on the north side of W. Burdick St., to determine what’s wrong with it, how to best repair it and how much such an undertaking would cost.
‘The mausoleum is in very bad condition,? said township Supervisor Bill Dunn. ‘Luckily, I believe there’s nothing in there.?
Rather than just hiring a stone mason to go out there and start work, Dunn advocated having a structural engineer look things over first.
‘We believe there may be some structural damage,? he said. ‘I just don’t want to have them come out, put up the stones and have this building collapse or fall on someone.?
Although he said he was opposed to the idea, Trustee Buck Cryderman inquired about other potential options such as demolishing the mausoleum.
‘I would not be in favor of tearing it down,? Dunn responded. ‘The historical society, I’m sure, would skin us if we even thought about tearing this down.?
‘This thing was built in 1894,? the supervisor continued. ‘The masons at that time did a wonderful job erecting that and I think it’s something that should be preserved.?
In addition to the natural deterioration that comes from being exposed to the elements for more than a century, the mausoleum sustained some damage in June 2006 when the Oxford Fire Department was called out to rescue a cat trapped within it.
The cat was trapped inside one of the stone wing walls that extend outward on both sides of the mausoleum’s entrance.
Firefighters had to chip away at the wall to free the feline.