Gorton Family in Southeast
Connecticut were an important indeed. Their significance is why the highway was
built around their family cemetery. This is the cemetery in Connecticut which
made me question why some cemeteries are moved while others are not. There is a
lot of history with the Gorton Family in New England dating all the way back to
the 17th century. [1] The history of the family can be
read here: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rigenweb/article20.html. I would
imagine that distant relatives of the Gorton family still live in the area as
well. If the Connecticut Department of Transportation tried to remove the small
family plot to widen Interstate 95, I am sure there would be a big uproar about
it. Although it is prime space for widening the highway, I do not foresee it
being done. The Gorton family Farm was added to the National Register of Historic
Places listings in New London County, Connecticut in 1984. It is # 84001166 on this list provided by National Register of Historic Place[2]
Saint Louis Cemetery #1, #2, and #3 located in New
Orleans, LA might be the most photographed cemeteries in the United States. I
am not sure of the significance of those buried here but the city must be
benefiting from their existence. I doubt these cemeteries are in danger of
being relocated any time soon. These cemeteries are so popular that you can
book at tour through TripAdvisor. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60864-d108191-r146970362-St_Louis_Cemetery_No_1-New_Orleans_Louisiana.html. There are plenty of photographs from the famous St. Louis
cemeteries in New Orleans. Multiple images can be seen here: http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-600-s&sz=all&va=saint+louis+cemetery+1+new+orleans
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St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans, LA (Figure 1[3]) |
As I stated in my post on Sept. 29th, Bellefontaine Cemetery is also a well-known cemetery in St. Louis, MO that offers tours. This place offers free public tours. Many significant figures have been interred there such as James S. McDonnell, Jr., Major Albert Lambert, Robert A. Barnes, and Adolphus Busch just to name a few[4]. All of these people have made contributions to the St. Louis community and I have no doubt their graves will remain there for many years to come.
What I have learned is that if you are able to make a significant contribution to your community; chances are that you will be memorialized in death for a longer period of time than those that do not. I say a longer period of time because it is very possible in another 200 years, even fortunate people buried in private cemeteries will be removed from what was supposed to be their final resting place. The population of the United States is growing at a very fast rate and burial grounds are spaces that can be put to other use. I am hesitant to say better use because I do not want to imply that burial spaces are a waste. Therefore, I will stick with other use such as urban development. This article by Peter J. Schmitt (1992) “Grave Matters: American Cemeteries in Transition,” reiterates what I posted yesterday regarding moving cemeteries for urban development and the changing attitudes of people regarding cemeteries. “To many [cemeteries] occupy valuable space which could be put to better use. To others they are almost invisible. They are unvisited, unloved and unimportant” (Schmitt, p. 342). I have found that Potter’s Fields are often neglected. That being the case, it is a waste of space if no one is going to maintain it the way it should be. Just as a house on a lot not being maintained becomes an eyesore, so do burials grounds that are not properly maintained. Putting them to other use might be the best use of the space instead of letting them become overgrown weeds and broken grave markers.
I am not finished yet. I will revisit “Too Broke to be Dead” on my next post.
Reference:
Schmitt, Peter J. (1992). Grave
Matters: American Cemeteries in Transition
Journal of Urban History May 1992
18: 338-345, doi:10.1177/009614429201800305.
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ReplyDeleteDawn,
ReplyDeleteFor those who have never seen a Louisiana above ground cemetery please recommend they experience at least one as they "...take a trip... to the land of dreams....".
As you probably know, tradition has it that underground burial on the early Louisiana coast almost always resulted in the coffin floating up out of the ground due to the very high water table. This literally forced the early use of above ground burial (sepulchers). Some may have been in place for several hundred years. (N' Orleans City founded 1718.) As your photograph shows, the very damp situation has re-carved some of the older sepulchers into some very interesting pieces of folk art, each absolutely unique in its own right (like your work is always unique).
The famous Basin Street is famous for a lot of things including these sepulchers and your St Louis Cemetery (as you already know) is on the corner of Basin Street and St Louis, right on the edge of the French Quarter (Da Quahtah). You can get a glimpse of it by googling Google maps. Plug in " cemetery near Jackson Square, Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA". Then zoom in to maximum. But like N' Orleans music, there's nothing like being there live.
Appreciate all your thoughts and your research on older cemeteries, their histories, and their fates. It's a problem all of us and/or our immediate progeny will have to address.
Again, I also appreciate your response on my comment on body donation (Oct 28)
Bob Hill