For the second time in as many weeks I am hearing about how the long arm of metal moving into cemeteries. As morbid as it sounds, cemeteries have become a “hot spot” for metal thieves. What’s next – digging up corpses for the gold in their teeth?

Tennessee natives Allen McCampbell and Bennetta James fear that metal thieves will return to take the remainder of an old wrought iron fence that surrounds historic Dickson Cemetery on the farm they co-own in eastern Houston County near the Dickson County line.

The obvious conclusion is that someone took it to sell as scrap metal, which has increased in value to the point that people almost have to treat it as a precious metal.

How Bad is the Problem? Bad!

In Houston County alone, at least eight people charged since September are in jail awaiting trial for scrap metal-related thefts.

As of Dec. 1, scrap iron is priced at $11.50 per 100 pounds, according to an online market resource. Scrap metal from old cars is generally priced at $12 per 100 pounds.

In the case of the missing fence section, the piece is beyond unique, it is irreplaceable, having been made by Birmingham Iron Works sometime between 1915 and 1920.

He and James are considering offering a reward to help recover the missing fence piece, which enclosed a cemetery that holds four generations of James' family, dating back to 1803. It includes a Revolutionary War veteran.

Hooper recalled an example of an old piece of farm equipment that had been stolen and the owner called around to scrap dealers describing it in detail, but none had knowledge of the antique hay rake.

People all around the globe are looking at a possible solution to this problem. Does anyone have any suggestions?