Stanton Cemetery lies at the very top of the limestone bluff overlooking Mead's Quarry. You'll come upon it suddenly as you wind along Tharp Trace trail, an austere place on a winter's afternoon. The little community is long gone, but the cemetery was literally uncovered from beneath a thick tangle of vines when Ijams began improving the nature trails around the quarry.Graves are dated from 1870 through 1939, although there are many graves marked only with small fieldstones. Life was hard for these quarry workers and their families; many of the markers record the brief histories of infants and children. They break my heart.
A local Boy Scout troop cleared the land and built a little post rail fence and benches, and it's a beautiful, mindful place to stop and sit. But I kind of liked it when I first saw Stanton Cemetery as I believe it was meant to be, when the trail first opened, and the vines still swirled thick and lush around the headstones.
7 comments:
I love wandering through old cemeteries and feel so sad when I come across the grave of a baby or child. Such hard times our ancestors went through. Nice that the boy scouts fixed it all up.
That is such a moody, forlorn looking place, especially with everything so brown and bare. I'd be afraid to 'come upon it suddenly' if I were alone.
I'm glad the Boy Scouts and others cleaned and restored this peaceful resting place. It's very respectful of history.
I am also sort of fond of old cemeteries. So many hopes and dreams lie buried in them. This looks like a nice one on a hill overlooking some valley below.
Abe Lincoln Blogs
Abraham Lincoln's Blog
This is really spooky. See V's Paris blog for why. I have always been fascinated with the Père Lachaise Cemetery because of the amount of talented people buried there. Your post is in the opposite direction the
everyday man who is buried there. My friend is an archeologist and one of her decisions is when does a grave dig become appropriate. Apparently after living memory. Really striking, startling image the single word father is really heartbreaking, let alone children's graves. People often shy away from this type of image, but they shouldn't. Abe of course got it spot on. Hopes and dreams.
For all the many dreams and talents this man had, "father" was likely his most important role of all. I love the light on this.
"Louis" has been so buried at his new espresso shop, he hasn't had much time to visit - so he appreciates your visits and comments even if he hasn't stopped by chez toi much recently!
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