12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A TOUR INTO NEW ENGLAND HISTORY, September 16, 2005
This review is from: Stones and Bones of New England: A Guide to Unusual, Historic, and Otherwise Notable Cemeteries (Paperback)
I've long been fascinated by the history of New England and the lore of old cemeteries. One of the best ways to learn about the history of a region is to visit these ancient graveyards. "Stones & Bones of New England" takes the reader on a wonderful tour of dozens of cemeteries located in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Each section has a state map showing the general location of the cemetery. More importantly, each cemetery that author Lisa Rogak covers comes with an address (or at least an exact location), phone number if applicable, and hours of operation. I've read a number of books on old cemeteries and this information is often not included.
Throughout this tour you'll visit cemeteries that are the final resting place of many famous Americans, some infamous Americans, along with suspected witches, not too mention than many of the sites are haunted.
In Connecticut, the Mountain Grove Cemetery is where you'll find the great showman P.T. Barnum buried. But even his 25' tall monument isn't the largest...that honor goes to one of Barnum's most famous attractions, the two foot tall Tomb Thumb who has a 40' obelisk. The Bara Hack Cemetery is not only a haunted cemetery, but is also located in a genuine, deserted ghost town.
Maine features the Brooklin Cemetery where children's author E.B. White is buried. The Old Burying Ground in York features the frequently visited gravef Mary Nasson, suspected of being a witch. A large stone slab covers the ground where she is buried, supposedly to prevent her escape.
As one might suspect, Massachusetts has some of the nation's oldest cemeteries and gravestones. The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is home to some of America's literary giants including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Louisa May Alcott. Oak Grove in Fall River is where you will find the grave of the infamous Lizzie Borden, who died in 1927. Many of the settlers who came over on the Mayflower are buried in Burial Hill in Plymouth. Burying Point in Salem is where the presiding judge in the Salem witch trials, Judge Hathorne, lies in his eternal sleep.
Rhode Island's Chestnuthill Baptist Church Cemetery features the grave of a suspected vampire. Mercy Brown had been the third member of the family to die within a short period of time. The two others were exhumed and found to be decomposing, but when Mercy was dug up, she was still perfectly preserved. Her family then removed her heart, burned it, and re-buried her. The Old Burying Ground in Little Compton contains the grave of Elisabeth Pabodie, the daughter of John and Priscilla Alden, and the first white female born in New England. Perhaps New England's most favorite resident, certainly to horror fans, H.P. Lovecraft, is buried in Swan Point Cemetery in Providence.
On the lighter side, if you go to Vermont, be sure to visit Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard, where the famous ice cream makers have erected tombstones to all of their discontinued flavors with some very humorous epitaphs.
If there is one minor complaint it is that there are, at most, just one photograph to accompany each cemetery listing and some do not have any. More photos would have been greatly appreciated. Still, it's a fantastic book for those who appreciate the history and lore of old cemeteries. You literally find yourself stepping back into history as you visit the graves of famous Americans who fought in the Revolutionary War like Ethan Allen. The book also has an excellent resource section for further study. A great book!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Was hoping for more, June 4, 2006
This review is from: Stones and Bones of New England: A Guide to Unusual, Historic, and Otherwise Notable Cemeteries (Paperback)
This book begs for a road trip...by the author! A truly phenomenal book on this subject would have required more than just research. Visits to most every graveyard/cemetery in New England (anyone traveling through small New England towns can tell you that there is much more to see than those listed in the book), plus interviews with the locals and families that date back centuries, seems necessary.
Much of what is in the book seems to be simply research, which could be done by anyone on the internet and at local New England libraries. Each cemetery listed mentions only one or two graves of interest. Also, each state section of the book should have had its own introduction including some history of the state, as well as lore. And while this doesn't need to be a gothic novel featuring Barnabas and Quentin Collins, narrative on the meaning, legends, lore and FEEL of graveyards in New England could have added so much more, including color photos taken during all four seasons. I am reminded of a book on ghosts in New England (forgive me for not recalling the author or title); that author visited many towns and interviewed locals to "get the scoop." Whether you believe the legends or not, it was a great read because of the amount of information provided by locals.
Seems like a rush job. With more work, the book could have been an invaluable resource and historical reference.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A fun trip between the tombstones, August 22, 2007
This review is from: Stones and Bones of New England: A Guide to Unusual, Historic, and Otherwise Notable Cemeteries (Paperback)
I love cemeteries, the older the better, so I was already pretty much the ideal reader for 'Stones and Bones' from the get go. During my recent vacation to New England I spotted Rogak's book, in one of the approximate 20 or so gift shops my children dragged me into, and as soon as I saw the cover I knew I was hooked. I practically hurled my money at the cash register, as excited as I was to get my hands on this book.
I read the book everytime I had downtime over my trip. It proved to be a good book to dip in and out of. The short chapters are conducive to that. The content was definitely of interest to me, and there were some great, interesting tidbits as well as good local lore. For me, someone who's been to New England only once before, and never before to its cemeteries, it was interesting to read. I definitely wanted more concrete information, but I whiled away my quiet time very nicely with this book. The author's intent wasn't to be comprehensive, but rather to whet the appetite and provide a little guidance on the subject. I'd like to graduate to a more detailed book from here, but I thought 'Stones and Bones' served its purpose quite well.
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