by: Emily Jones (Friend and Follower of SAC)
It’s understandable why the average person may feel a chill down their spine when entering a cemetery. Underneath their feet are the bodies that had once held life. Each headstone a small glimpse into the history of someone who once was. Long lives filled with laughter, sadness, loved ones, and dreams. Short lives that ended too soon. Today, cemeteries are often solely seen as a place of mourning or somewhere to go if you’re feeling a bit macabre. They’re so much more than that, though.
Cemeteries, in fact, used to be a popular place for people to gather. The Rural Cemetery Movement of the 1830s and 1840s opened people’s eyes to the possibility of the living and non-living sharing these beautifully preserved landscapes.
Katherine Peinhardt of Project for Public Spaces states in, Multi-Use Cemeteries: A Place for the Living in the Land of the Dead, “fueled by concerns about health and sanitation, cities pushed burial sites out of urban cores and into nearby neighborhoods, building cemeteries that were not only designated for funerary uses, but also for recreation and relaxation.”
Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts kicked off the movement in 1831 after overcrowding concerns in cemeteries arose in Boston and surrounding cities. Mount Auburn’s website states it “continues its historic dual role as a sacred site and pleasure ground, serving as both an active cemetery and a ‘museum’ preserving nearly two centuries of changing attitudes about death and commemoration and changing tastes in architecture and landscape design.”
Cemeteries were a sanctuary. A tranquil place away from the city with well-manicured lawns and mature oak trees. They just also happened to be home to the deceased. It’s argued that the rise in popularity of these “garden cemeteries” sparked an interest in developing more park spaces, sans the dearly departed. Overtime, going for a jaunt amongst the graves became seen as more and more taboo.
Organizations today, such as Save Austin’s Cemeteries, work to invite the public back into cemeteries. While cemeteries can be a great way to spend the day outdoors, they’re also a valuable resource for learning about your community’s history. If you want to start exploring but don’t know where to begin, SAC holds an annual Murder, Mayhem, and Misadventure Tour to teach curious patrons about some of the lives and ultimate demise of the “residents” of Austin’s Oakwood Cemetery.
If you find yourself venturing into a cemetery, you may be surprised to find it is shrouded in dignity and respect. Perhaps your hesitation lies in facing a reminder of every human’s inevitable fate. But maybe what you’ll really be reminded of is how sensitive life is and to live each day we’re given.
So go to that cemetery you pass on the way home every day. Sit on the bench and drink your coffee. Read the names engraved on the headstones. Try to find the oldest date. Show respect to the recently dug plots with the fresh bouquets, as well as the ones that have had time to merge back into the earth. Enjoy the solace. The residents may enjoy the company.
Links to used sites:
PEINHARDT, k. (2019 MAY 23)
Multi-Use Cemeteries: A Place for the Living in the Land of the Dead. Pps.org. https://www.pps.org/article/multi-use-cemeteries-a-place-for-the-living-in-the-land-of-the-dead
https://mountauburn.org/category/history/