The Cemetery Project....Creepy or Just plain peaceful?

                                                 

        A Cemetery with Meaning to Me

     I chose the Louise Johnson Memorial Cemetery.  This cemetery was dedicated in 1997 to Wrentham Developmental Center.  This is the place that many of the individuals living at the developmental center are placed to rest.  It is located across the street from the close knit family of the facility were I work.  To get to it from Taunton you need to drive, but from the center it is a short peaceful walk.  If you were not told about this cemetery you might not know it exists.  It is nestled behind an athletic complex. I found this to be somewhat ironic, a complex were there is so much life has a place where people are lifeless.  All the plots sit beneath many pine trees, with just one short "driveway" of sorts.  There is a white picket fence to define the area.  The grounds hold approximately 300 or so.  The exact # is unknown to me at this time.  

     This is a private cemetery located in the town of Wrentham.  It is run by the Wrentham Developmental facility.  The grounds keepers keep the grass at bay and the markers in the clear.  I felt it sort of serine to walk around the small but friendly place.  The markers dated back to as early as 1862.  There were people of the catholic faith as well as the protestant religion.  They were once segregated but as I walked around noticed that they must of ran out of room at one point and now there are markers marked with a "P" and "C" right near each other.  I'm sure it wouldn't matter to the individuals that lay there, we are all one big family. It doesn't matter if you are black or white we are all thought of as brother and sisters.  There is a ton of unconditional love, from the people who live there to the people who work there.

     The grounds are kept up for the most part.  I did find myself clearing markers to reveal names and dates of the person who was below.  I didn't get the feeling that it was visited much but there were some flowers and other things laid beside loved ones.  I spoke with one of the men that help maintain the area and he had said he believes that it is full, "maxed out."  There are no building or facilities on these grounds, no mausoleums, no sales office, chapel, or anywhere to escape the elements. Just the covering of the pine trees that made you feel you were some where else.  

     All the markers were the same, none stood apart from the rest.  All uniform from size color and shape.  A small flat rectangle with a number in the left hand corner and a letter in the right hand corner.  The name in all capital letters centered in the middle, and a birthdate to the bottom left and the death date on the bottom right.  Some had specific dates others only stated the year of birth and the year of death.  Some have been there since the early 1900's and others as recent as 2013.  All the sentimental gestures left were of plastic flowers and I did see a set of rosary beads.  I found it strange that I was told the cemetery was holding it's max number because
when I was walking around there looked like a grave had been recently dug awaiting for one more burial.  

     There was one marker where a baby had been buried at 1 year in age, 1957-1958 was all it read.  full name all in capital letters, a junior, a little boy.  I wondered if he was named after his dad then why no birth or death date.  The oldest marker was for Maria Foss born October 23, 1868 and died October 5, 1931.  The most recent marker belonged to Henry Oliver born February 15, 1926 and died May 9, 2013.  I knew Henry and took care of him on the final days of his life.  When I came across his marker I had to smile and think of a wonderful man that laid there for his

final resting place.  

     I chose this particular cemetery because it has special meaning to me.  A lot of the individuals here where once dropped off as infants to a state facility and forgotten about.  They made a home in Wrentham and laid to rest in Wrentham were they were cared for by people that showed them love.  When I look around at the markers that lay almost flat on the ground it is sad that they did not have a little more personality to them.  Something that marks that person for the uniqueness that they had.  When you talk to anyone at the developmental center there is always a special story about one "special" person that made there way into the hearts of so many.

     An anthropologist might look around and see this cemetery as a place where everyone is equal.  No stone bigger or better than the rest.  Just a simple humble marker that marks a life that once was. There is nothing that makes anyone more important than the other.  The stones all look the same, no disfiguring attributes, no disabilities, just a human being with a remarkable life.

     In conclusion to this weeks assignment, there have been so many deaths throughout the years at

the Wrentham Developmental Center, and although not all are buried where we can take a walk to visit them, they are all remembered on a trail outside one of the buildings that is still open.  It is known as the Wrentham State School Memorial Walk, dedicated October 22, 1994.  There are four memorial walls with four sides each with the name of deceased individuals.  Located in the front of the facility many people walk by and spend time looking and remembering.  There is also a water fountain in the middle of the walkway and on a nice spring, summer, and even fall day you can see people all around enjoying their time under the trees outside.