MAWORCES-L Archives

Archiver > MAWORCES > 2003-11 > 1069428362


From: "Deborah Campbell" <>
Subject: RE: [MAWORCES] Worcester Common Burial Ground
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 09:26:02 -0600
In-Reply-To: <web-35129095@rems02.cluster1.charter.net>


This may be a silly question, but why can't the stones be set upright again?
I have often wondered about not just this burial ground, but others as well.


-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Halpin [mailto:]
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 9:08 AM
To:
Subject: Re: [MAWORCES] Worcester Common Burial Ground


From the Worcester Parks dept web site....

http://www.ci.worcester.ma.us/wpr/parks/common/history.htm

"In 1730 about an acre of land on the easterly end of the
Common was set apart for a burying ground and as such was
the principal cemetery of Worcester until 1795. The lot,
enclosed by a stone wall, extended to a point near the
present Soldier's Monument, then to about where the
Timothy Bigelow Monument stands.

For some reason it was not square but more like a keystone
in shape. As a result of the neglect, the burial ground
gradually became an eyesore and in 1854, the city had a
plan made of the graves and the inscriptions copied from
the headstones. The headstones were then laid flat on the
graves and the whole plot covered with a foot of earth and
leveled off."



On Fri, 21 Nov 2003 08:09:51 -0600 (CST)
(Marcia Payne) wrote:
>
>I just read a paragraph in a book and I'd like to know
>the reason for
>doing this.
>
>Ths is what was said:
>
>"In 1853, the city council (of Worcester) voted that the
>stones in this
>ancient burying place should be laid flat, their
>inscriptions carefully
>copied, and then covered with earth. The grave markers of
>more than 300
>early settlers are now lost from sight."
>
>Does anyone have an explanation for this? Seems awfully
>strange.
>
>
>==== MAWORCES Mailing List ====
>Need to UNsub for vacation or summer??
>Forget How to UN sub???
>http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/MA/worcester.html
>


==== MAWORCES Mailing List ====
Need to UNsub for vacation or summer??
Forget How to UN sub???
http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/MA/worcester.html




This thread: