Stones And Bones Of New England

Whether it's for their solace and beauty or for the sense of history that seeps from the ground, cemeteries are fascinating places to visit, this guide shows where to find the most interesting and unusual ones in all of New England. Some have headstones that are fine art, others are associated with notorious events, and others are the final resting place of famous poets, soldiers, and statesmen. Included are large public facilities as well as the small family burying grounds hidden away behind crumbling stone walls and along once-cultivated farmland. A sampling of cemeteries profiled: *Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont, where lifelike sculptures of angels and Greek goddesses stand next to a stone soccer ball and Shell Oil truck gravemarker, all elaborately carved from local granite by immigrant Italian stonecutters. *Spider Gates Cemetery, in Leicester, Massachusetts, a notorious Quaker burying ground famed for its frequent ghost sightings and still in use today. *A cemetery situated on the raised median of the Interstate in Warner, New Hampshire,which was preserved in 1970 by highway planners, who constructed the roadway around it. *Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Vermont, final resting place of Timothy Clark Smith, whose 1893 crypt includes a window to help him escape in case he was buried alive. Driving directions are provided for each cemetery, and detailed maps show the location of the more obscure graveyards. This unique guide offers an intriguing way to learn about the history and culture of New England.

Agawam Massachusetts - Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark is a fascinating collection of tales based on Colonial headstones found in the picturesque cemeteries of Agawam, Massachusetts. The book features information on early New England gravestone carvers, and includes over two hundred photos and illustrations, with over one hundred photographs of this Yankee folk art. It also contains historical and genealogical information about the pioneers who settled in the Connecticut River Valley. Take this field guide along as you visit these ancient burial grounds.

Behind New Hampshire's scenic landscape lies some very dark history, ranging from horrible hangings to scandalous socialites. The Fireman's Riot of 1869 resulted in most of Manchester burning to the ground. New England's largest rumrunning gang was finally prosecuted due to an overdue library book. Madame Sherri so scandalized the Chesterfield area at the turn of the century that she now has a state park named after her. Author Renee Mallett reveals the surprising and sometimes shocking history from the Seacoast to the Great North Woods.

What is the big attraction to colonial era burying grounds? For one thing, stepping inside is like taking a giant step into your own personal outdoor museum. Whether you are a history buff, a genealogy investigator, an art aficionado, a geology student, or just plain curious, there will be something in an old graveyard to hold your interest. So many fascinating stories are carved into each stone, a single grave marker can capture the imagination of a variety of onlookers. Who carved this piece of Americana art? Where did this piece of stone originate? Who lies buried beneath this stone, and who was in their family? The answers to these questions and many others are changing as more and more records of the time are seeing the light of day once again. As so many stones of that era remind us - life is short. Dont squander a chance to enjoy what is in front of you. Welcome to the world of the colonial burying grounds in Enfield, Connecticut.

The graveyards of old New England hold an incredible range of poetic messages in the epitaphs etched into the gravestones, each a profound expression of emotion, culture, religion, and literature. These epitaphs are old, but their themes are timeless: mourning and faith, grief and hope, loss, and memory. This book tells the story of a years-long walk among gravestones and shares insights gained along the way. It identifies the source texts and authors chosen for these stones; interprets something of the tastes and beliefs of the people who did the choosing; offers some hypotheses on the various ways these texts were accessible to readers in remote towns and villages; gives a brief summary of the religious context of the times; and reflects on how the language and literature chosen for these epitaphs express these peoples' conflicted and evolving attitudes towards life, death, and eternity.