The Secret Life of Death Podcast

Picking up where we left off in Episode 7: Degenerate, Part 1, Part 2 delves into the deep, complicated historic reasons why cemeteries in New England became abandoned. We talk to the experts: Robin Lacy, of Spade and the Grave, who shares her research into Puritan burial customs and culture; Brian Post, of Standing Stone Landscape Architecture, who takes us on a tour of some of his gravestone restoration work; and Tom Giffin, of VOCA, the Vermont Old Cemetery Association, who walks us through why cemeteries are not just an opportunity for remembrance but also, community investment.

And we continue to explore what influences the neglect in white Anglo-American versus Black and Indigenous Persons burying grounds in New England. By again discussing the historical and current situations with the Western Abenaki Burying Ground in Bellows Falls, VT and the African Burying Ground in Portsmouth, NH, we try to shed a light on how and why marginalized groups become more so, even in death. Covid has made organizing interviews much more difficult and so while I have been in conversations with representatives from the Elnu Abenaki in VT and the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire to get their comments and perspective on the treatment of THEIR ancestors, it just was not feasible at this time. I hope next year to follow up with both groups and include an addendum to this episode with their interviews.

Transcript

Special Thanks:
Sponsor for this Episode!!!
Oh My Goth Jewelry Co, by Lindsay Gilliland “Handmade Jewelry with an edge!” Find her fun, spooky and sweet skeletally inspired designs on her
Etsy shop: www.esty.com/shop/OhMyGothJewelryCo/ and follower her on Instagram @ohmygothjewelryco
Interviewees: Robyn Lacy, archaeologist, death scholar, archaeological illustrator, burial ground conservator and heritage consultant
https://spadeandthegrave.com/

Brian Post, Dry Stone Walling Association certified, Advanced Level 3 DSWA certification, DSWA instructor, gravestone restoration
http://standingstonevt.com/

Tom Giffin, president Vermont Old Cemetery Association (VOCA), cemetery commissioner for the city of Rutland, VT
https://voca58.org/

Musical Arrangement and Accompaniment:
Jennifer Vannell and Badger Studios, Denver, CO

The Kathan Cemetery in Putney, VT, is the oldest burying ground in town, set up by and for the earliest Anglo-American settlers in the area. It’s situated on a high bluff, on an old road that used to connect the village of Putney to the Connecticut River. All pretty typical New Englandy stuff. But from the first approach to this place, you can tell something’s not right. First, it’s tucked away, behind a house and you have to literally cross the yard to access it. Second, there are only a few slate stones on site, most of them were broken, with chunks of slate from other broken gravestones all over the ground.

This scene of vandalism is NOT typical New Englandy stuff. Or is it?

*Note: The burying grounds mentioned in this episode are either on public land and are accessible via public roads or have access via a legal right-of-way. The Western Abenaki burying ground in Bellows Falls, VT and the African Burying Ground in Portsmouth, NH are located in heavily industrialized and urbanized areas of their respective cities. Their locations in particular, are well known in their communities and a matter of public record: by talking about their locations in this episode, TSLoD isn’t revealing the locations of any clandestine, undisturbed burial spots.

Transcript: Episode 7: Degenerate, Part 1

Special Thanks:
Interviewees: Brian Post, Dry Stone Walling Association certified, Advanced Level 3 DSWA certification, DSWA instructor, gravestone restoration
http://standingstonevt.com/

Cemetery Warriors:
Kate Butt, Jon Midura, Myles Mickle, Kate Buckman and Michael Bruno

Musical Arrangement and Accompaniment:
Jennifer Vannell and Badger Studios, Denver, CO

In this, the final installment of Episode 6, we discuss the various ways the new, emotionally expressive culture around grief and death that had developed in turn-of-the-19th-century New England began to play out. We see themes of transcendence and ascension (into heaven) get very popular between the 1790s-1810s. And its not just gravestone motif design but also in folk art and mourning jewelry that begin to reflect these social changes. We talk to licensed gemologist and historical jewelry specialist, Nicholle Mogavero, who shares her knowledge about mourning jewelry and the parallels in imagery used in jewelry design with what we see in gravestone motifs of the same time.

And finally, we tackle the two big questions about Relief Wilcox Town’s gravestone, with its unique broken willow, moon-soul effigy/spray of stars and the focal point of empty space: does this design reflect something specific about Relief and her life/death and who carved this amazing piece of art?

And we talk about spreadsheets. It gets real nerdy, real fast. (Hmm, that really seems like a buried lead, doesn’t it?)

Transcript Episode 6: Awe, Part 4

Musical Arrangement and Performance:
Jennifer Vannell: Badger Studios

Special Thanks:
Interviewee: Nicholle Mogavero, graduate gemologist, professional jewelry appraiser and historian. Find Nicholle on Instagram at #jewelrynerd and Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/JewelryNerd/

Those who fielded my many questions:
Laurel Gabel : The Association for Gravestone Studies

The Gravestone Girls

James Blachowicz (Department of Philosophy, Loyola University- Chicago)

Michael Laferriere, John Sterling : Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Commission

Members of:
New Hampshire Old Gravestone Association (NHOGA)
Vermont Old Cemetery Association (VOCA)
Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS)
Rhode Island Genealogical Society (RIGS)

In the third part of this series, we are still trying to understand and interpret the meaning and origin of the incredible artistic design of the gravestone of Relief Wilcox Town (d. 1813) from Halifax, VT. To that end, we try to learn more about Relief herself, and start with dissecting the inscription on her epitaph. Turn-of-the-19th-century Epitaphs are a great place to find all sorts of cultural and social clues. They give us the basics like, name, date of and age at death but they can also tell you about social rank and even how a person died. We also talk to some real artists, from The Drawing Studio in Brattleboro VT, to get their impressions as to what the broken-willow, moon-soul effiigy and stars and the deliberate empty space in the center of the design, says to them.

There is one more episode to go to finish up this investigation (I know I said that last time but I really mean it). The show will drop early next week so don’t go anywhere! Or, at least take us with you where ever you do go so you don’t miss out!

Transcript Episode 6: Awe, Part 3

Musical Arrangement and Performance:
Jennifer Vannell: Badger Studios

Special Thanks:
Interviewees: Jason Alden, Lauren Watrous and Paul Bowen, artists: The Drawing Studio, Brattleboro, VT vermontdrawingstudio.com

In this, the second of three shows, we are still contemplating the fascinating gravestone art on the stone of Relief Wilcox Town of Halifax, VT, and the extravagant and symbolic nature of the moon/stars and willow motif. To understand what is could mean, we need a lesson is the history of gravestone art in the region.

New England was a culture dominated by the Puritans early on and their strict and dour beliefs are reflected in the predominance of mortality symbols, skulls, coffins, scythes, skeletons and devils in gravestone art up to the 1750s. Prior to and after the American Revolution, however, the population traded that heavy handed view of life on earth and after for a gentler, more compassionate attitude. This was reflected in a change in gravestone art motif designs to winged skulls, winged angels and soul effigies.

Places like Rockingham VT became populated enough to have their own gravestone carvers, those of the Wright School, and the burying ground behind the meeting house is full of examples of their notorious soul effigy figure. But by around 1820, gravestone began to be carved out of white marble instead of slate and people began opting for a more standardized motif of the now ubiquitous “willow and urn”.

So where does Relief’s gravestone motif design fit into all of this??? You’ll have to listen to find out!

Transcript Episode 6: Awe, Part 2

Musical Arrangement and Performance:
Jennifer Vannell: Badger Studios

Special Thanks: Cemetery Warriors:
Kate Butt and Theresa Janiszyn
Interviewees: Brian Post, stone mason and gravestone preservationist: Standing Stone Landscape Architecture, Springfield, VT
Jason Alden, Lauren Watrous and Paul Bowen, artists: The Drawing Studio, Brattleboro, VT