Searching among
the stones for Old Town’s past
July
6, 2006
For
some people, choosing to spend a summer afternoon in a cemetery might
seem like a strange one. In a world in which the emphasis is on youth,
speed, and all things “extreme”, the solitary confines of a cemetery
aren’t much of a lure for those who are used to grabbing their
entertainment on the run. But for some people, the most exciting form of
entertainment comes at a slower pace and includes long looks back at the
past. For them, a half-hour spent strolling among rows of faded stones
on the grassy slopes of a cemetery can be a fascinating way to spend a
summer afternoon.
Kathy and Michael Fuller of Old Town say that, for them,
long, lazy strolls through the city’s cemeteries are a regular thing.
They were doing just that one recent afternoon in Forest Hills cemetery
when the sun’s welcome appearance in the sky would have sent another
couple scurrying for the beach towels. But according to Kathy Fuller,
looking at and reading old headstones has long been one of the couple’s
mutual passions.
“We love just walking around and reading names and dates
on old tombstones,” she said. “It’s so fascinating, trying to imagine
what the lives of the people were like. You’d think that the higher
mortality rate in the 19th century would make death more accepted
somehow. But looking at the stones, you can just feel the love and
sadness that went into the words.”
She points to a tall headstone with a rounded
top that resembles the roof of a house. Etched into its granite surface
are the images of a broken pillar and a floral wreath. The letters
inside the wreath are too faded to read from a distance. On closer
inspection, they spell the name “Eli.”
“I don’t know who Eli was, but his family
obviously thought he deserved a really prominent and elegantly-carved
tombstone,” Fuller said. “And speaking of that, another thing about
these old stones is the names you find on them. There are a lot of names
you just don’t hear anymore.”
She mentions “Eli”, “Josiah”, and “Avon” as
examples of that observation.
“I’m always drawn to the tombstones that have
short little nicknames on them, like ‘Lizzie” or ‘Johnny.’ You think of
the 19th century as being such a formal time, but these
people laid their loved ones to rest using their everyday nicknames.
It’s very sweet, very moving. It gives you an entirely different
perspective of the way people actually spoke and acted in the past.”
Fuller’s husband, Michael is also intrigued
by the images of the past conjured up by the couple’s visits to old
cemeteries. But he has also managed to find a practical application for
his alternative hobby.
“Once, when Kathy and I lived in another
state, we used to take regular walks through an old cemetery in the
area. We walked there all the time, and we really knew it inside and
out. And one day this young man showed up and we started talking. He
said that he was looking for the graves of his grandparents, but that he
didn’t even know where to start looking. I asked him their names. He
told me, and I said, “Oh, I know exactly where they are. Come on, I’ll
show you.’”
The large number of older stones at Forest
Hills makes it an ideal spot for the kind of “historical strolls” that
the Fullers enjoy taking. But Kathy Fuller says that just because the
people whose names are on the stones left the physical plane a long time
ago doesn’t mean that their grave markers deserve any less respect.
“Sometimes you across a stone that’s fallen
over or has been broken. But most of the time, that’s just because of
weather and ground conditions. It’s just something that happens, “ she
said. “But I can’t even stomach the idea of anyone ever vandalizing a
cemetery, no matter how old it is. Look but don’t touch. That’s a line
that should never be crossed.”
As Fuller and her husband prepare to leave
Forest Hills and return to the sunshine outside the cemetery gates, she
makes one more observation concerning their special hobby.
“Doing this always helps me to keep in mind
that life is a cycle,” she said. “The people buried in this cemetery
were the population of Old Town a hundred and fifty years ago. They had
the same worries and joys and hopes. And even though the city is a
completely different place now, at least physically, the people who live
in it are really just modern versions of the people buried here. We’re
just the latest generation to walk around on this same ground.”
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