I hope everyone has a safe, spooky Halloween! It is the day of the year where those who have passed before us are closest to us. Remember them, and all the lessons they can teach us, if we stay silent and listen to the tombstones...
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Gaspee Affair
Let me set the stage: It's 1772, and tensions are running high between the American colonies and Great Britain. The colonists have grow tired of the strict trade regulations that have been put in place by Great Britain. These laws exist solely to keep Americans from conducting business with other countries; if Great Britain no longer holds a trade monopoly in the colonies, then the colonies are no longer a profitable venture, and The Crown needs the colonies for profit and for raw materials. This angers colonists a great deal because they are inhibited in matters of trade and must pay a great deal in taxes, neither of which they have a say in because the colonies are not represented in Parliament. All of this strain and struggle led to the burning of the HMS Gaspee. The ship was located off the coast of Rhode Island, and the ship was causing great strife for the local merchants, who were obviously not following the rules that had been put in place for colonial trade. A group of the Sons of Liberty rowed out to meet the ship, and the rest is history. Essentially, this was one of the events that sparked further rebellion against The Crown and led to the American Revolution.
A man named Benjamin Page, who took part in setting the Gaspee ablaze, moved from Rhode Island to Ohio, and his remains rest here. The histories and personal stories that lie in cemeteries are numerous, and just waiting to be discovered.
More information on the Gaspee Affair and Benjamin Page:
Friday, October 12, 2012
The Rural Cemetery and Louis Bromfield
Small cemeteries on the rolling prairie are where most of our American ancestors were laid to rest. Many of these tiny cemeteries have been lost to the ages as they are reclaimed by nature. This particular cemetery is the final resting place for many of the early founders of the area, as well as famed author Louis Bromfield. He died in the 20th century, well past the peak of the pioneer cemetery. Cemeteries were not small affairs by this time; as America grew more industrialized, populated, and wealthy, cemeteries reflected this shift in the size and grandeur of its tombstones and monuments. Burials no longer took place on the small farm-parcels of land were set aside for the specific purpose of burial, far away from homes and farms. However, Bromfield celebrated rural America, and felt that organic farming techniques would help conserve the land and resources we had. Bromfield bought a large tract of land, which he called Malabar Farm, and this cemetery was a part of that farm. This was well over 60 years ago, and we are just now beginning to see how imperative it is that we preserve our natural resources and use more sustainable, nature friendly ways of farming. It is fitting that Bromfield and his family are buried alongside these resourceful pioneers who lived off of the land. It would have been uncharacteristic for Bromfield and his family to have been buried far away from the land they farmed and wished to stand as an example for future generations of the importance of a lifestyle in harmony with the natural world.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Fall colors
Everything about fall makes a visit to the cemetery that much more beautiful, even more visceral. The crunch of the leaves under your feet during a crisp, cool morning walk in the cemetery can really give you a peaceful, transcendental feeling, even if just for a few minutes. Days like today really make me wonder how some people find cemeteries to be such morbid, scary places.
Happy fall, everyone! Get out and enjoy it while you can. These colors and temperatures won't last for long...
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
The Halloween Mood
When the crypt doors creak
and the tombstones quake,
spooks come out for a swingin' wake
Happy haunts materialize
and begin to vocalize
Grim grinnin' ghosts come out to socialize
-"Grim Grinning Ghosts (Haunted Mansion theme)"
It's officially October, and I don't know about anyone else, but I'm full of Halloween spirit! Yes, cemeteries are repositories of history, but they are also home to the suffering and turmoil that its permanent human guests endured in life. As summer color fades, the falling leaves and cool weather give cemeteries an eerie feel they just don't have in summer. An overcast, rainy fall day can make you feel as though you're not alone, or that a zombie may shuffle out of the shadows at any minute.
Here are some Ohio ghost stories to get you in the Halloween spirit if you aren't already feeling it:
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Copus Massacre
It's time for an Ohio history lesson. Don't get too excited!
"James Copus
and three soldiers
George Shipley
John Tedrick
and Warnock (From what I've heard, the soldier who lost his life was named Robert Warnick?)
Killed by the Indians
Sept. 15 1812
So, I'm taking a leisurely drive today, and I drive past a well worn sign that is directing me to the Copus Massacre memorial. Needless to say, I was intrigued. I trucked down this little gravel road until I came upon this fenced in obelisk in the middle of the woods. It's a pretty uninspiring spot if you don't know the history behind the events. I'll post a link with the full story, but here's the short version:
James Copus and his family got along pretty well with their Native American neighbors. They all lived in relative peace around the area of present day Charles Mill Lake. However, soldiers popped up one day and wanted the Native Americans to move along and leave their land because the government was afraid they would turn violent. Mr. Copus tried to stick up for them, but to no avail. The only agreement he could come to with the military was for the Native Americans to temporarily move, on the condition that their homes would be left as they were. The Natives trusted Mr. Copus, so they went with the plan. This is the point where the soldiers ruined everything. As soon as the Natives were just a short distance away, the soldiers stole all the valuables the Natives had and set their village on fire. Mr. Copus was extremely upset because the trust that was between his friends and family and the Natives was shattered. In short, the Natives rebelled as a result of the destruction of their homes, and Mr. Copus and three soldiers were killed in the melee.
Although these violent deaths are bloody and terrible, I can fully understand the anger of the Natives. Americans have a long history of breaking promises and stealing land/resources from Native Americans. Mistreatment like this is bound to result in some sort of bloodshed. Maybe I'm callous, but I cannot consider these soldiers heroes because they committed such a dishonest, cowardly act, and reaped the consequences of their actions. The Copus family and their neighbors were caught in the middle, so I do feel very sorry for them because they tried to create a peaceful balance with the Native American neighbors. The abuse of Native Americans in our country is truly one of the most shameful acts we have committed as a nation (an act that we often times like to forget happened).
Full article on The Copus Massacre:
Friday, September 21, 2012
Death and The Civil War
This picture may seem typical or even boring to the viewer, but I cannot help but look at it and be moved.
I have just watched an excellent documentary called Death and the Civil War, which was based on Drew Gilpin Faust's book, entitled This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. We all know that The Civil War was terrible, but I have been floored by how this documentary really brings the death and suffering to your heart. This war shook Americans to their core, and our ideals about religion and death were changed forever. We have never had a war before or since that was so close and personal; where we lost so many young men in the prime of their life. I cannot help but think that, if The Civil War were to happen today, America would not recover. In the 1860s, Americans pulled together and completed the grim tasks of caring the dead and dying, but could we find enough resolve in ourselves today to do this? I just don't think so. We've lost a lot of our ability to communicate and commiserate, be it because of the coming of the digital age or growth of population past the point where we can know our neighbors personally, who knows. I'm amazed and deeply in debt to those who came before me, and lived so bravely during this time.
Looking back at this photo, I think these men are lucky. They survived the war, and not only that, they are buried in their homeland with a proper headstone. So many young men died in the heat of battle, and were rolled into a shallow grave without even their name being recorded. So many families never got to bring their men home. I can't imagine having a brother, friend, husband, son, or father die in battle, and never knowing how they died or where they were buried. There is something so unsettling about that, and that is why I feel that these men are lucky.
Here is a link to the documentary and book:
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