Christina Pokwatka of Historic New England delves into the history of historic cemeteries while covering topics such as materials, iconography, and monument styles, and the ever important need to preserve them, presented a Zoom session on November 15, 2023. The recording can be accessed by clicking here.

(Above) Christiana begins by defining the different terms that are used to describe spaces where people are interred. There’s a graveyard. There’s burial ground, there’s burying ground. And then there’s also Cemetery. So historically, Cemetery was not used until about 1831, when Mount Auburn Cemetery was established.

(Above) “We see the death head with the wings, and then again, right above that. We also have the hourglass and below. It’s actually really interesting. You have Father Time, and essentially Death and Father Time and death are snuffing out the candle so essentially meaning that it is Joseph’s life is coming to an end.”

(Above) “Here is what it’s called is double dating. The carver didn’t make a mistake, rather it tries to limit the confusion between the Georgian and the Julian Calendar. Up until 1752 oftentimes the early part of the year, so January, February, and March, that though you double dated it so there was less confusion about when exactly an event took place. Because originally with the Julian Calendar, the beginning of the year was in later March, but then, when we switched over in 1752, the beginning of the year started the first.”