Beautiful, crisp fall weather this weekend beckoned for a walk. Our trees here in Central Massachusetts have carpeted lawns and streets with leaves, but there is still much beautiful foliage to enjoy. So I set out on Saturday afternoon to stroll through a historic cemetery in our fair city.
Why a cemetery, you ask? Because this one, Rural Cemetery, was first created in the 1830’s during the eponymous 19th century movement to create “open air cathedrals” for burying the dead, as opposed to cramped burial sites that dominated urban centers. Aside from the aesthetics, these park-like cemeteries limited the risk of ground-water contamination from decaying bodies. And so, our Rural Cemetery is an arboretum with some very old and magnificent trees.
The cemetery is also the resting place from some famous local citizens, whose names define many streets and landmarks here. Being a local history nerd, I find it fascinating to discover them, as well as to observe the art of gravestones from earlier times and how it reflects social attitudes and values about that most mysterious aspect of life—what comes next.
I hope you enjoy this stroll with me. . . .
Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.
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