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maryland
T: CHARTER,
DEDICATION
AND
LOT-HOLDERS
1883 OF
GREEN MOUNT CEMETERY.
Baltimore: LUCAS BROTHERS, No. 170 WEST BALTIMORE STREET. 1885.
Maryland Rare
F 189 B162674 1885
CHARTER.
AN ACT to Incorporate the Proprietors of the Green Mount Passed Mar. 15 1838. Cemetery.
WHEREAS, several citizens of Baltimore, in this State, Preamble. hereinafter named, have associated for the purpose of estab- lishing a cemetery at Green Mount, the seat of the late Robert Oliver, situated in the northernmost portion of said city, containing about ninety-six acres of land; and whereas, they have purchased the said estate for the pur- pose of appropriating about sixty contiguous acres of the same to the purposes exclusively of a public cemetery; and whereas, it seems reasonable and necessary to provide for the permanence of the said establishment so that those who bury there may be assured of perpetual protection to the remains of relatives and friends, and for the decent preservation of the grounds :
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Persons incor- Maryland, That William Gwinn, Robert Morgan Gibbs, porated. Fielding Lucas, Jr., John S. Skinner, John S. Laffitte, Samuel D. Walker and John H. B. Latrobe, and their successors be, and they are hereby created a body politic and corporate, by the name and title of the Proprie- tors of the Green Mount Cemetery, and by that name shall have perpetual succession, and shall be able and liable to sue and be sued in any court of law or equity, and may have and use a common seal, and the same at their pleasure to alter or renew, and shall have power to purchase, have, hold and enjoy to them and their succes- sors, the Green Mount estate aforesaid, or such other real Estate. estate as they may select for the purpose of establishing, maintaining and improving a public cemetery, which is hereby declared to be the only object for which said cor-
H
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poration is created ; provided the quantity of land owned by said corporation shall not exceed one hundred acres : with authority to the said corporation to receive gifts or be- quests for the purpose of ornamenting or improving said Cemetery, and to hold such personal property as may be requisite to carry out the object of this act.
Vacancies.
Their Power.
By-Laws.
Instalments.
Votes rated.
SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That the capital stock of said corporation shall be represented by one hundred full shares of one thousand dollars each, and two hundred half shares of five hundred dollars each, shall be divided among the purchasers of said estate according to their interest therein, and shall be transferable in such mode as the by-laws may direct.
Transferable.
lot.
SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That the President and May dispose of Managers are authorized to dispose of such part of Green Mount Estate as may not be wanted for the purpose of a Cemetery, either by selling the same, or by distributing
Officers of
SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That the affairs of the said corporation shall be conducted by a President and five Managers, who shall be elected by a majority of the votes of the proprietors, on the first Monday in January, in each and every year, and in case no election shall be held at the time aforesaid, the officers last elected shall continue in office until an election shall be held; the said President and Managers to fill all vacancies in their own body, and shall have power to lay out and ornament the grounds, to remove and alter the old buildings and erect new ones, to lay out and sell or dispose of burial lots, to appoint all necessary officers and agents, and fix their several duties and compensation, and to make such by-laws, rules and regulations, as they may deem proper for conducting the affairs of the corporation, for the government of Lot-hold- ers and visitors to the Cemetery, and for the transfer of stock and the evidence thereof; and said President and Managers shall have power to call instalments from time- to time on the capital stock of said corporation, to meet the exigencies of said corporation ; in all elections held under this act, each proprietor shall be entitled to one vote for every full share, and to one vote for every two half shares held by him or her.
Shares.
V
it by lot or otherwise, among those who, by a given day to be fixed by the Managers hereafter named, may purchase burial lots in said Cemetery ; nothing herein contained to authorize a lottery for the purpose of raising money ; and provided, that at least fifty contiguous acres shall be propriated. forever appropriated and set apart as a Cemetery, which, Exempt from so long as used as such, shall not be liable to any tax or tax. public imposition whatever.
SEC. 5. And be it enacted, That no street, lanes, or Streets, lanes & alleys heretofore laid out, roads or canals of any sort alleys. shall be opened through that part of the property of said corporation so to be exclusively appropriated to the pur- poses of a Cemetery, provided nothing herein contained shall authorize said corporation to obstruct any public road or street, lane or alley now actually opened and used as such ; and provided, that this exemption from the passage and opening of streets, lanes, alleys and public roads through said Cemetery, shall be confined to the area Area. contained between the York Road on the west, Ensor Street on the east, and to the north of Hoffman Street within the limits of said city of Baltimore.
SEC. 6. And be it enacted, That any person who shall juring. : wilfully destroy, mutilate, deface, injure or remove any tomb, monument, grave-store or other structure, placed in the Cemetery aforesaid, or any fence, railing, or other work for the protection or ornament of any tomb, monu- ment, grave-stone, or other structure aforesaid, or shall wilfully destroy, cut, break, or remove any tree, shrub or plant within the limits of said Cemetery, or shall shoot or discharge any gun or fire-arm within the said limits shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, upon conviction thereof, before any Justice of the Peace of Baltimore County, be punished by a fine at the discretion of the Justice, according to the aggravation of the offence of not less than five nor more than fifty dollars.
SEC. 7. And be it enacted, That until an election shall Present Mana- be held under the provisions of this act, the persons gers. named above shall be Managers of the said corporation.
SEC. 8. And be it enacted, That every Lot conveyed Lots appropria- ted. in said Cemetery shall be held by the proprietor for the
Fifty acres ap-
Penalty tor in-
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Exempt from execution.
purpose of sepulture alone, and for none other, as real estate, and shall not be subject to attachment or execu- tion.
N
Passed Mar 23, A SUPPLEMENT to the Act to Incorporate the Proprietors of 1839
the Green Mount Cemetery.
Shares $100 each.
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That the proprietors of the Green Mount Cemetery be, and they are hereby authorized to divide the capital stock of said corporation into shares of one hundred dollars each, in place of the division prescribed in the act to which this is a supplement.
Divide estate into shares.
SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That so soon as the sales of lots in the Green Mount Cemetery shall have been sufficient to pay the purchase money of sixty five thousand dollars, with interest, and the expenses that shall have been incurred by the present purchasers of the Green Mount estate, their representatives or assigns, in laying out, en- closing and improving the grounds, the then stock- holders shall transfer their entire interest in the portion of said estate set apart as a Cemetery, to the holders of burial lots therein, each lot-holder to be entitled to as many shares as he or she has lots, and said lot-holders shall be stock-holders of said corporation.
Each 'share. holder a lot.
SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That out of the first pro- ceeds of sales after such transfer, there shall be set apart and invested in some safe and productive manner, the sum 840,000 of first of forty thousand dollars as a permanent fund, whose in- proceeds or sales set apart. come shall be applied to the maintenance of the Cemetery, exclusively ; and that after such investment, all further receipts from sales of lots, shall be annually divided and set apart, as follows: two-fifths shall be appropriated to the exclusive use of the Cemetery, and the remaining three-fifths as reserved by the present proprietors in the prospectus, shall, under their appointment, direction and control, be set apart as follows : one-fifth to the common schools in the city of Baltimore, one-fifth to promoting;
Subsequent proceeds.
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the cause of Sunday Schools, one-fifth to the establish- ment and support of a Seaman's Home, and an Apprentices' Library.
SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That a certificate, under Title to lot: seal of the corporation, of the ownership of any lot afore- said, shall in all respects have the same effect, as any conveyance from the said corporation of such lots would have if executed, acknowledged and recorded, as convey- ances of real estate are required to be.
A SUPPLEMENT to the Charter of the Green Mount Passed Mar. 26, 1840. Cemetery.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That so much of the third section of the act passed at December session one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight, chapter two hundred and thirty-three, as sets apart one- fifth of certain receipts from sales of lots in the said Green mon schools re- One-fifth com-
pealed and ap- propriated to Mount Cemetery, to the common schools in the city of temperance. Baltimore, be and the same is hereby repealed, and the said one-fifth part thereof be, and the same is hereby ap- propriated and set apart to promoting the cause of temper- ance ; provided that the supplement to the original act, to which this is a further supplement, has not been accepted by the Proprietors of the Green Mount Cemetery.
A SUPPLEMENT to the Charter of the Green Mount Passed Febru Cemetery.
ary 19th, 1872.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, that in lieu of the sum of forty-thousand dollars, reserved in the present Charter of the Proprietors of Green Mount Cemetery to be set apart and invested for the future maintenance thereof, the President and Directors of the said Cemetery be, and they are hereby authorized to increase the same to one-hundred thousand dollars, as increased. though that had been the sum named in the Act entitled a supplement to "an Act to incorporate the Proprietors of Green Mount Cemetery," passed on the twenty-third day of March in the year eighteen hundred and thirty nine.
Reserved fund
DEDICATION
OF
GREEN MOUNT CEMETERY.
GREEN MOUNT was the name given to the country seat of the late ROBERT OLIVER, in the vicinity of Baltimore. During his life, Mr. Oliver spared no expense in beautifying it, and aided by its natural advantages, he left it, at his death, a highly ornamented and most lovely spot. It was purchased from his heirs by an association of gentlemen, who appropriated sixty acres of it to the establishment of the public Cemetery, whose dedication gave rise to the ceremonial, of which the following pages are the record.
The dedication took place on the grounds, in the open air, in a grove of forest trees, on the evening of Saturday, July 13th, 1839.
The hour for commencing the ceremonies of the dedication having arrived, the Musical Association of Baltimore, who lent their most valuable services on the occasion, sung the following chorale, from the Oratorio of St. Paul :
Sleepers wake, a voice is calling, It is the watchman on the walls : Thou city of Jerusalem ! For lo ! the bridegroom comes ! Arise, and take your lamps ! Hallelujah ! Awake, his kingdom is at hand, Go forth to meet your Lord !
When the opening was concluded, the following Prayer was deli- vered by the REV. WILLIAM E. WYATT, Rector of St. Paul's Church, Baltimore.
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PRAYER.
Our Father in heaven, we who dwell in houses of clay, and are crushed before the moth, approach to render homage to Him that in- habiteth eternity. Strangers and pilgrims as we are upon the earth, we would lay the foundations of a city of the dead. And taught by the narrow field, destined to be this receptacle of successful generations, we discern the vanity and frailty of our nature, and we take refuge at the foot of Thy throne, O Most Mighty, Creator of the ends of the earth, whose judgments are a great deep. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the worlds were made, from everlasting to everlasting, thou, and thou only, art GOD. Together with the adoring tribute of creatures to their Creator, we offer Thee our thanksgivings, for all the dispensations of thy love and bounty, Thy care and providence, thy forbearance and pity. More especially we praise thee for the glorious hope of immortality ; and that beyond our bed of corruption, and our sleep in dust, there is a bright world of perfections and privileges, spiritual, and like Thyself, everlasting. Great God, we thank Thee for all the means and instruments of at- taining this unspeakable gift ; for Thy written word, with its mighty attestations ; for Thy life-giving doctrines ; Thy strengthening ordi- nances ; Thy consoling graces. Above all, we thank Thee for sending eternal redemption to us by the blood of Thine own incarnate Son. O accept our worship and praise, that thou art reconciling the world unto Thyself by Jesus Christ, not imputing their trespasses unto them ; and that, in him we have " complete redemption."
It is Thy gracious promise, Lord, who dost guide Thy people in Thy strength to thy holy habitation, that if we lean not to our own understanding, but commit our way unto the Lord, Thou wilt bring it to pass. We therefore come before Thee to invoke thy blessing upon the undertaking of Thy servants, here assembled, who, according to the example of the patriarchs and thy people of old, are about to set apart " a field for a burying place," when we, and ours, shall be gath- ered unto our fathers. The earth is Thine, O Lord, and the fullness thereof; and meet it is, that we should solemnly dedicate to the blended purposes of religion and charity, a portion of what thou hast given to our use. Meet it is, that here, beneath the shade of the majestic wood, in a holy solitude and silence, they who have fulfilled their pilgrimage, and rest from their labors, should wait in peace the summons of the resurrection morn. Our Father, take this seques-
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tered asylum to Thy special providence. Ever spread over it the- shadow of thy wings. With gentler dispensation than of old, when sin had driven our fathers from Eden, let angels, though unseen, guard its entrance. Let not the foot of pride or folly, or violence, come near to unhallow it. And although no voice of admonition can reach the dull ear of death, nor prayer avail to change the doom which thou hast here sealed, yet, gracious Lord, may each grassy mound, and each marble memorial, utter a thrilling warning to the living, and fill this page of man's history with lessons of wisdom to. every heart.
When to any one among us, Thy decree shall go forth, " dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return;" and when the mourning train. has hither borne the loved one to the house appointed for all living, and with holy rites we seek at Thy hands consolation and strength ;. have thou respect unto the prayer of thy ministering servants, and to their supplication, O Lord our God, to hearken to the cry of sorrow, and to the prayer of faith, which may reach Thy footstool from these- sepulchres ; and hear Thou in heaven, Thy dwelling place, and when Thou hearest, forgive.
God of consolation, may Thy Spirit ever be present to minister to the bereaved whom thy providence shall draw within these sacred enclo- sures ; and while resigned, they bow meekly before thy sovereign, though sometimes inscrutable, decrees, inspire, Lord, the soothing reflection, that, "to die is gain ;" that here the wicked cease from, troubling, and the weary are at rest; that here temptation expires, and each toilsome task is fulfilled, and transient sorrow turned into everlasting joy. When in bitter anguish they shall look into the graves here to be opened, as into a fearful abyss, dividing them from all that can render life joyous, O, do thou teach them, that that separa- tion shall be short ; that quickly shall all the scenes and illusions of time vanish ; and that, in the land of spirits, soon shall every holy tie be again bound, and severed hearts be forever re-united.
All wise God, in this vestibule of the unseen world, here through the clustering oaks, the perpetual dirge of winds seems the response of awful rites within, inspire us with lessons of heavenly-mindedness and devotion. From yonder stately mansion,* where once was heard the viol and the harp, but henceforth the sanctuary of offices for the dead, let us learn the instability of earthly things. From the slow
#The seat of the late Robert Oliver, Esq., to be converted into a chapel for the Cemetery .
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funereal pageant, which entering with touching ritual, within these walls, in the proud mausoleum shall deposit the remains of the pos- sessor of rank and wealth, may we all be taught the folly of pride. And when the learned and the mighty shall here say " to corruption, thou art my father, and to the worm, thou art my mother and sister," may the friendless and the poor be inspired with contentment under the brief humiliations of their lot; and may they lay it to heart, that every path of life, however illustrious or obscure, ends alike but in a silent, narrow cell.
In the view of the mouldering masses of corruption which shall soon swell this verdant turf, grant, most just and holy God, that the madness of profligacy and excess, may be mightily urged upon every conscience. Teach the youthful and the impassioned, musing in these avenues of the charnel house, that the ways of guilty pleasure lead to premature ruin, and that the wages of sin is death. Here, let those who, in sottish idolatry of the world, are putting off from day to day the work of conversion to God, discern the danger of procrasti- nation. Teach them the appalling truth, that " there is a step be- tween us and death." And while the tombs of the young, and the vigorous, and the bold, who have not lived out half their days, dis- close the brief memorial of frustrated plans, and presumptuous hopes, may they startle every conscience into greater diligence of preparation for the master's coming.
Here, in this quiet retreat from the turmoil of the world, teach us, O our Father, the fruitlessness of discord, and the littleness of ambi- tion. Looking into the noiseless chambers of the tomb, where once angry partisans lie down together without strife, and rival heroes find a calm resting place by each other's side, may our hearts be touched with the vanity of the feuds which disturb the peace of the world. Seeing here the end of glory, and the emptiness of triumphs, may we shun the vain conflicts of life, and seek supremely those things which are spiritual and eternal.
When the wan and weary child of disease, stands trembling beside an open sepulchre, and the vision of its dreary solitudes and eternal desolations sends a chill and shuddering forboding into his heart, do thou, Lord, with thy rod and thy staff, sustain and cheer him. In the midst of that gloom, insinuate gently the triumphant assurance, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ; and though, after my skin, worms destroy this
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body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another."
When holy bonds, cemented under thy sanction, are riven, and al- liances of kindred or friendship are here dissolved; when standing thus upon the shore of eternity, we gaze upon the stranded bark of the now distant voyager, Lord, send to our hearts the deep inquiry, " Have the vows and offices of love which I once assumed, been faithfully discharged ? Was aught left undone for his temporal good ? Withholding the meet returns of grateful affection, have I embittered the days of him whose remains lie insensate before me ? Owed I more zeal to his safety in that unchangeable state, where the never dying spirit now is, beyond the reach of my aid, my prayers and my attach- ment ?" And grant, Lord, that salutary reflections like these, control- ling our plans, and tempers, and conversation, may diffuse the spirit of gentleness and charity through the intercourse of such as survive.
Thou Great First Cause, Fountain of every good, who, by thy gospel, has brought life and immortality to light, here teach the hap- less sceptic the power of faith. Constrain him to inquire, what would be the refuge of his trembling spirit, in consecrating the Cemetery, and rearing the mausoleum, if its darkness and gloom were the last stage of our being ; if the dissolving elements of the body revealed the utter ruin of our nature ; and if here an iron destiny called us to abandon forever the desolations of the grave, the infant in its love- liness, the tender wife, and the cherished friend. Pitying God, whence then could the voice of comfort arise ! O fill all our hearts with a transporting sense of the value of our heavenly inheri- tance. Disclose to us the gate of the grave, as the portals of immor- tality. And having this hope, may it be our great aim to purify our- selves even as thou art pure; to crucify the world in our hearts ; in spirituality and heavenly mindedness, to be conformed to the likeness of Christ; to live by faith in the Son of God ; that we may die in hope, and go down to the chambers of the dead, rich in all the prom- ises of the everlasting covenant. And, O God, who dost now make darkness thy pavilion about thee, in that day, when the last trumpet shall sound through all the secret caves of the ocean, and deep re- cesses of the earth, and when the voice of the archangel shall call forth the slumbering generations of men from the silent abode of ages, may we rise to a glorious resurrection. Justified by faith, may we mingle in that great assembly, which cannot be numbered for mul-
*
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titude, with bodies glorified, affections sublime, faculties perfected, to see thee face to face, and to expatiate in immortal youth.
Our great Mediator, incarnate for man, who didst vouchsafe that thy sacred body should repose in the tomb of Joseph, own and bless this our undertaking. In thy name, we now dedicate this field " to be a burying place;" that, in the bonds of a common faith, they whose remains shall be here consigned to their parent earth, may to- gether rest in safety and hope. May the hallowing influences of thy gospel ever abide, in peaceful sway throughout this awful sanctuary of the dead. And, when thou shalt stand at the latter day upon the earth, and the mountains shall quake, and the hills shall melt, may the awakening inhabitants of this city of the dead, through thy merits and intercession, O blessed Lord Jesus, have a building of God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
At the conclusion of the prayer, the following Hymn, composed for the occasion by J. H. B. Latrobe, Esq., was sung by the Musical Association, to the tune of the 100th Psalm; the assembled multi- tude joining in the well-known melody.
HYMN.
We meet not now where pillar'd aisles, In long and dim perspective fade ; No dome, by human hands uprear'd, Gives to this spot its solemn shade. Our temple is the woody vale, Whose forest cools the heated hours ;
Our incense is the balmy gale, Whose perfume is the spoil of flowers,
Yet here, where uow the living meet, The shrouded dead ere long will rest, And grass now trod beneath our feet, Will mournful wave above our breast. Here birds will sing their notes of praise, When summer hours are bright and warm; And winter's sweeping winds will raise, The sounding anthems of the storm.
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Then now, while life's warm currents flow, While restless throbs the anxious heart, Teach us, oh Lord, thy power to know, Thy grace, oh Lord, our God, impart : That when, beneath this verdant soil, Our dust to kindred dust is given ;
Our souls, released from mortal coil, May find, with thee, their rest in Heaven.
After the hymn, the HON. JOHN P. KENNEDY delivered the follow- ing address.
ADDRESS.
MY FRIENDS --
We have been called together at this place to distinguish, by an appropriate ceremonial, the establishment of the Green Mount Ceme- tery. It is gratifying to perceive, in this large assemblage of the in- habitants of our city, a proof of the interest they take in the accom- plishment of this design. To a few of our public-spirited citizens we are indebted for this laudable undertaking, and I feel happy in the opportunity to congratulate them upon the eminent success with which their labors are likely to be crowned.
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