Stop number two on day 3 was Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont.
Yes… I said cemetery.
But not just any cemetery… au contraire mon ami. This final resting place is in Barre, Vermont… the granite capitol of the United States.
“Established in 1895, Hope Cemetery consisted of 53 acres designed and planned by the renowned landscape architect Edward P. Adams. By that time, stone cutters from all over the world, especially Italy, were flocking to Barre, Vermont, to enjoy the booming granite industry in the city. It is estimated than one out of every three memorials found across the United States was made using granite mined in Barre.”
“Barre is also known for having an uncommonly high death rate, but that, too, is related to the industry that made it famous. Silicosis, a respiratory disease that is caused by inhaling granite dust, led to an abnormal number of deaths in the area. When the Spanish Flu swept through the area, many knew that death could be just around the corner and got to work designing their own tombstones. This tradition has carried on ever since and about 75 percent of all of the tombstones found in Hope Cemetery were carved by the occupants of the graves they sit above.”
So we strolled among the dearly departed.
Have we met?
The weird thing is… it really isn’t.
We walked and we marveled…
And knew right away this wasn’t your ordinary cemetery.
And while it felt disrespectful to chortle in a graveyard…
Sometimes you just had to.
Instructions. What’s to learn…?
Die. Get planted. Take the eternal dirt nap.
Easy peasy.
Some of the carvings were lovely.
Some were serene.
Some were intricately wrought.
Some a little narcissistic.
Some were odd.
Some downright strange.
Cat lovers wanted everlasting furballs hawked on them…
And soccer players wanted giant balls.
(I can’t prove that, but I know it’s true.)
This was a testimony to love everlasting.
And this a heartfelt sentiment about mothers.
This chicka is famously known as the Bored Angel… seeming to say, “Come on, die already. Get it over with.”
There were hands clutching posies…
And massive monograms.
There were ducks…
And a fair share of art deco.
Here’s a door for my Thursday Door people.
But the one that really got me?
The chair.
Really… wth?
Chairs are made to be sat upon.
Did this dearly departed’s family members really think, “Hey kids… want to plant your tuchis on Uncle Shmuel for generations to come?”
The husband dared me to sit on it and have my picture taken. And don’t think I didn’t imagine some interesting selfies….
But walking around a cemetery, gawking and taking blog pictures seemed blasphemous enough.
A girl doesn’t want to push her luck.
Wow! That’s really cool. I’m in that area occasionally. I’ll make a point to visit the next time I’m there!
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Do!
It’s actually a listed tourist attraction…. although admittedly, it feels a little disrespectful. Some of the granite carvings are truly works of art.
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I think I might be likely to add a little humor to my tombstone if I get the chance. Maybe quotes from my blog!
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And if you do? I will visit, lay flowers… and promptly blog about it.
The circle of life.
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Wowza!!!! Who knew?! From the Shakers to this unbelievable cemetery. I stay being educated on your page. Damn, girl!!! Keep bringing it.
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As if I could stop…
😉
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😂 True! 😂
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This is one trippy cemetery. How cool. I like the oversized letter “A” as a tombstone. It calls to me for some reason…🤔
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I can’t imagine why…
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Love going to graveyards. I remember once drunk waiting for a bus,jumping into the graveyard to fix the to stones that idiots had knocked over. A consecrator
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Doing good deeds for the dead.
Well done, sir. Well done.
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I love cemeteries for taking photos. Especially if I can go on a dark, rainy day and get the angle just right. But I don’t know of any cemeteries around here that have the type of tombstones this one has. A car? An airplane? Pyramids? Wow. I agree that the chair is the best one – I wouldn’t have sat on it, either; although if I had Teddy Rosalie with me, I would have taken a photo with her on it. She’s already inanimate and stuffed.
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Perfectly acceptable then…
😉
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What struck me ~ the dates on the Bancroft memorial. One spouse died at 51, the other at 55.
Also, the chair seems perfect if you want to “sit a spell” and chat with the dearly departed. Makes so much more sense than bringing a folding chair every time. 😛
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Maybe so. But I just couldn’t bring myself to sit on Uncle Shmuel….
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Thanks for sharing, I love the photos and I would go out of my way to see this.
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It was quite something!
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You’re not creepy…I love cemeteries and graveyards, too! Or, um, maybe we’re BOTH creepy?
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Maybe…..
😉
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i like this. maybe i’m odd, too. our big famous people cemetery here is a place people tour often, and older kids take field trips there, learn about history.
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I find something quite soothing about cemeteries. They’re such peaceful places….
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As the late, great Liberace once said, “I didn’t get dressed up like this to go unnoticed!” Likewise, you don’t design your tombstone in the shape of a chair if you don’t want someone to come and sit on your dearly departed remains…
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Point taken.
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Nick’s headstone is a bench. I sit and talk with him. That chair limits you to sitting looking AWAY from your loved one. I can sit, rub my hand over his name, look at him and talk to him.
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❤️
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