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Guardians of the Soul: Angels and Innocents, Mourners and Saints, Indiana's remarkable cemetery sculpture
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West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.
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At this cemetery, gone but no longer forgotten |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Monday, 09 August 2004 |
By Bridget Samburg
Globe Correspondent
August 8, 2004
As Dorothy Baldini walks around the Old Burying Ground on Walnut Street, she stops to read the inscription on a headstone. But the words quickly trail off as they sink beneath the ground's surface. Many of the stones have sunk, toppled, or split into pieces.
Despite the beautiful old monuments, the delicate sheaves of wheat carved into many of the headstones, and the stunning hilly landscape of this old cemetery, the town-owned site is in disrepair.
Baldini, though, is hoping to save it. She has spearheaded an effort to restore the cemetery, founded in 1717, and preserve some of Brookline's oldest history.
"It's been neglected for a long time," says Baldini, meandering along well-worn pathways. Other than mowing and tree trimming, says Baldini, little upkeep has been done to the site for the past few decades.
The cemetery hasn't accepted new burials since the 1970s, but the names on the headstones are familiar, as they match many of those on the town's street signs, including Boylston, Griggs, Aspinwall, and Goddard.
An assessment last December of the cemetery commissioned by the Friends of the Old Burying Ground, a group of concerned residents, revealed that 149 stones and monuments are in need of repair or restoration, says Baldini. Since then, the group has been raising funds to support preservation efforts.
The initial phase of restoration is expected to begin this month and continue during the summers for three years.
Since January, Baldini and others have raised about $26,000; the initial work is expected to cost $76,000. Once this summer's preservation of the stones and monuments is completed, Baldini says the tombs will need to be reinforced and pathways should be reestablished to help prevent erosion along the hillier areas of the cemetery. Ultimately, Baldini would also like to see repairs done to the intricate wrought iron fences that are crumbling or missing whole sections.
Erin Chute, director of parks and open space, says the town will work with preservation specialists and expects that Brookline employees will do much of the manual work, at least at first, in an effort to cut costs. The town has also included the cemetery's outer wall in its future capital plans, but work isn't expected before 2008.
"I'm hoping," says Chute, "for a complete restoration."
Baldini plans to apply for grants to support her efforts. "It's Brookline's history," she says, surveying the cemetery, parts of which are shaded by imposingly tall trees.
Those interested in donating to the preservation efforts should contact Baldini at 329 Goddard Ave., Brookline, MA 02445.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/08/08/at_this_cemetery_gone_but_no_longer_forgotten/ |
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