USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Spring Grove cemetery: its history and improvements, with observations on ancient and modern places of sepulture > Part 1
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F 499 .C5 S798 Copy 1
Spring Grove
5-
3/
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
Chafı. F499 Thof. C55798
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Spring rope.
22264
CHARLES WALDACK, Photographer.
ROBERT ('LARKE & Co., Publishers.
SPRING GROVE CEMETERY, FROM THE ENTRANCE.
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Cemetery :
ITS HISTORY AND MPROVEMENTS,
with
Observations on Ancient and Modern
PLACES OF SEPULTURE. Adolphus Strauch
31 10884
OF C
CITY OF
CINCINNATI : ROBERT CLARKE & CO. 1869.
5499 .035798
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Introduction,
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1
Historical,
25
The Plan, -
27
Trees, -
- 29
Lakes,
36
Birds, -
- 38
Monuments, 40 - -
The Soldier Monument, - 55 -
Epitaphs, - - -
56 Regulations for Interments and Funerals, 57
Brick Graves, -
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- -
- 59
Public Vault, -
59
Single Graves, - - -
- - - 61
Office Hours, - - - -
61
Price of Lots,
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- - 62
Foundations to Monuments, 63 -
63 Head Stones, - - -
Rules Concerning Improvements on Lots, - 64 Rules and Regulations to be Observed by Lot= Holders and Visitors, - - - - 66
(vii)
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]
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1
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viii
Contents.
Rules Regulating the Purchases of Lots, - 69 Family Burial Lots, - - - - 70 Society Lots, - - - 71 -
Single Interments,
- 72
Care of the Grounds,
- - 73
Forms of Deed, etc., - - 76
Incorporation of Spring Grove Cemetery and Laws Regulating Cemeteries, - 84 -
List of Officers, - - 95
Land Purchases, -
- 96
Total Number of Burials, - - -
97 Appendix-
Observations on Ancient and Modern Places of Sepulture, 101 Jewish Cemeteries, -
103 Cemeteries of the Karaite Fews in the Crimea, 105 Places of Sepulture in Egypt, -
- - 107
Burial Places of the Greeks, -
109
Burial Places of the Romans, - - 111
Burial Places of the Early Christians, - 113
Mohammedan Cemeteries,
115
Chinese Cemeteries, - 118
Burial Places in Great Britain and Ireland, 120
124 Cemeteries in France, - - -
Burial Places in Germany, - - 129
Burial Places in South America,
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- 128 Cemeteries in the United States, - 129 - Conclusion, - - - - - 134 - List of Proprietors, -
141
Introduction.
BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.
N CONSEQUENCE OF FREQUENT APPLICATIONS FROM various parts of the country, in regard to the establishment of rural burial places, I will again briefly state my views on the subject.
Recent visits to the principal cemeteries of Eu- rope, as well as those of America, have more than ever convinced me that the largest and best are to be found in the United States, where their increase in numbers warrants the prediction that, before many years, the ornamental burial ground will become in- dispensable to every city of any importance, where
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Spring Grove Cemetery.
people of culture reside and æsthetic tastes prevail. " It is a beautiful idea," says Fred. Gerstæker, " these ample American burial places, where we can rest, not crowded in close ranks, nor shut up by gloomy walls, but in a sweet, free forest, while over us in Eu- rope there creeps a sort of horror when we contem- plate the uninviting spot in which, some day, we must find our final resting place."
Neither London, Paris, nor Berlin, with their splendid parks of thousands of acres, has at this time a rural cemetery that will compare with those near Boston, New York, Philadelphia, or Cincinnati. As to monumental decoration it must be admitted that the principal European burial grounds possess important works of art, but their number is not so large as might be expected, and the great bulk of memorials erected to the departed would admit of considerable improve- ment. The great mistake people make there, and in many cases here, consists in doing too much, whereby they invariably destroy the general good appearance of their otherwise beautiful locations.
Cemeteries in this country, as well as in Europe, are conducted on various plans. A number of these are under the control of the city authorities, and, of course, are seldom self-supporting. Others, again, are the property of religious communities, which sometimes manage to pay expenses, and have at times something left for the benefit of the church; but there is very
·
3
Introduction.
little security to the owners of lots, for the city council or the trustees of the church may at any time pass an ordinance for the removal of the dead to other quar- ters, particularly if the burial ground be situated in or near a city, and has become valuable for other purposes. In that case the last resting-place of the dead is easily condemned as a nuisance, and the consecrated ground is sold for building purposes, merely for the sake of gain. "I have run over the world a long while," says a celebrated traveler, "and have always found that people are very religious as long as religion does not interfere with their pockets; but with gold in one hand and godliness in the other, the tangible is always pre- ferred to the immaterial; and so are the dwelling houses of the living erected over and around the graves of the dead."
Again, others are owned by one or more individ- uals, as is the case in Philadelphia, Chicago, and other places, and this plan has thus far given general satisfac- tion to the public. The largest and most popular institutions of this kind, however, are those where every lot-holder is a member of the corporation, and the entire income is devoted to the improvement and perpetual care of the same. Mount Auburn, near Boston, Greenwood, near New York, and our own Spring Grove, are conducted on this principle, and have so far proved successful. They have, by proper management, already accumulated a considerable sur-
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Spring Grove Cemetery.
plus, and there is not the least doubt that, in a few years, they will have a fund, the interest of which will be more than sufficient to keep the grounds perpetually in complete order, after all burial lots shall have been sold, and the disposition of the finances of such cor- porations for this special object should be steadily kept in view. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance that lot-holders should always be on their guard at each annual meeting, to elect only such men for directors as will respect the sacred trust, and cause law and order to prevail over the last resting-place of the dead.
Those engaged in laying out a rural cemetery should be particular in the selection of a suitable spot, sufficiently remote from the habitations of the living, yet of easy access. The surface of the ground should be undulating rather than flat, in order to admit of proper drainage, while a sandy subsoil is desirable on many accounts. In taking possession of the land the first step should be to have a correct survey made, and a general plan of improvement agreed upon, the execu- tion of which should be in the hands of a man who understands his business thoroughly; for if he does not, he will find that the materials he has to work with are very different from those used in drawing maps or writing elaborate descriptions, while the corporation will suffer in a financial point of view. It is the con- stant doing and undoing which has caused not only great waste of money, but also what is more valuable,
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Introduction.
loss of time, in many cemeteries. Plans designed by inexperienced persons may look exceedingly well on paper, but when they are executed they generally pro- duce an effect that is pitiable, unsuitable, and unsatis- factory. Large undertakings of this kind should con- sequently be begun, directed, and finished by one experienced person. The ideas of others may at times be used to advantage, but they must be so acted upon as to form a consistent whole. "We should try," says an eminent writer, " to combine cheerfulness of aspect, luxuriance of growth, shade, solitude, and repose, in such a manner as to imitate rural nature, for ennui and disgust will soon be excited where everything betrays constraint and art."
If the grounds selected for a cemetery are wooded with native forest trees, the greatest care should be taken for their preservation, at least on those parts that can not conveniently be used for burial purposes, such as marshes, deep ravines, and steep declivities. "There is a certain poetic enchantment which is powerfully felt by the beholder, as he passes along shady groves of ancient trees, whose trunks are encircled by that gar- land of eternity, the ivy, and where tuneful birds enliven the stillness of secret solitude."
Those sylvan scenes were places of worship and sepulture in olden times, and by no improbable sup- position gave rise to temples, and favored the religion of our forefathers. Converting woods into groves
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Spring Grove Cemetery.
gives an air of freedom, and introduces a variety of objects; but a total destruction of a thicket, as has been the case in many rural burial places, is one of the greatest devastations, and should never be resorted to as long as other ground can be obtained for burial pur- poses. A judicious location of avenues, the opening and closing of thickets, exhibiting the largest and finest specimens of trees, and the sudden transition from light to shade always produces a pleasing effect.
Cemeteries in the vicinity of large cities invariably contain the remains of persons from many parts of the world, over the graves of whom the trees of their re- spective countries might very appropriately be planted, thereby forming an arboretum, which, in the course of time, would afford valuable information to our suc- ceeding generations, and be of far more use than a col- lection of dilapidated marble slabs and toys. Thus, the sturdy Briton might rest under the shade of his native oak, while the northern man would find a place of repose beneath the leafy canopy of the mountain maple or the pine, and the southerner rest in peace at the foot of his favorite cypress. "I have seen," says the venerable Chateaubriand, "memorable monuments to Cræsus and Cæsar, but I prefer the airy tombs of the Indians, those mausoleums of verdure, refreshed by the morning dew, embalmed and fanned by the breeze, and over which waves the same branch where
7
Introduction.
the black-bird builds his nest and utters forth his plaintive melody."
The decoration of a rural cemetery should exhibit, in its classical purity, a just medium between too great simplicity and the excessive ornament usually met with. If we would but follow nature we would find her the best instructress in this, as in other things. Everything calculated to produce a decided delight in us must be brought in harmony with the immutable laws of nature. "The laws of nature are the thoughts of nature, and these are the thoughts of God," very justly observes Oersted. These laws are expressed in infinite clearness and beauty, and their systematic application in the formation of landscape scenery for rural burial places, is alone able to awaken in us those noble and moral pleasures requisite to produce a serene and happy disposition, thus dispelling that gloom and dis- may naturally felt by persons in visiting a burial place. " Nature's alphabet consists only of four letters- wood, water, rock, and ground; and yet, with those four letters, she forms such varied compositions and such infinite combinations, as no language with an alphabet of twenty-four letters can describe. Nature is always great in her design. She is an admirable col- orist also, and harmonizes tints with infinite variety and beauty."
In the pictorial union of architecture, sculpture, and landscape gardening, we find ample scope for
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Spring Grove Cemetery.
active imagination, by uniting the well-regulated pre- cision of human design with the apparently wild irreg- ularities of divine creation. "Diversity, which is the main advantage of free landscape, must, therefore, be sought in a judicious choice of soil, an alternation of hills and valleys, gorges, brooks, and lakes, adorned with tasteful monuments, such as temples, columns, statues, etc., partially concealed in luxuriant vegeta- tion." By an artistic calculation, exercised in the em- ployment of trees of various colors and forms, nature always speaks a new and exciting language.
Another very important, and perhaps the most important, point in the laying-out of cemeteries, is the proper location and construction of avenues. It must be remembered that at times very heavy loads of stone and other materials will enter the grounds, and large numbers of carriages congregate together, not only when funerals take place, but on other occasions. If, therefore, avenues are not made of ample width, and constructed in the best possible manner, carriages will invariably encroach on the grass borders, and heavy loads will sink into the ground. It is not necessary to make as many avenues as are found in most cemete- ries, for some will seldom be used, particularly if they have a steep grade, and are laid out in the so-called serpentine style, generally very popular with commit- tees, but very expensive in making, on account of the
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Introduction.
waste of valuable ground, and still more so in keeping them in order afterward.
Avenues should have an easy grade, graceful curves, and be so located as to give to each section a natural outline. In regard to the necessity of every burial lot fronting on an avenue, I will merely state that seclusion is more in unison with the feelings of many friends of the dead than publicity, glare, and notoriety. While persons engaged in the ordinary business of life might prefer front or corner lots, it may be questioned whether a cultivated and refined taste would not prefer a more secluded spot for a final repose. All that glitter and parade exhibited about the graves of the dead in our modern cemeteries, is much to be regretted. Gaudiness is often mistaken for splendor, and capricious strangeness for improve- ment. When once the dazzling glare of this feeling possesses the fancy, every soft and delicate impres-
sion loses its effect. Many lot-holders have, by introducing artificial flower borders around their small burial plats, obtained a trifling formality, and disgraced the noble object they wished to adorn. " Flower beds, artfully composed, may have their " elegance and beauty when kept exceedingly clean, but in scenes like this they are only splendid patches, which injure the grandeur and simplicity of the whole."
"A rural cemetery," said the late J. C. Loudon,
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Spring Grove Cemetery.
"in the neighborhood of a large city, properly de- signed, laid out, ornamented with mausoleums, tombs, columns, urns, etc., tastefully planted with appropriate trees and shrubs, and the whole properly kept, might become a school of instruction in architecture, sculp- ture, arboriculture, and landscape gardening, as well as in those important parts of general gardening, neat- ness, order, and high keeping."
In forming new combinations, rich perspectives, and scenic groupings, we should be very cautious in the selection of suitable places for monumental struct- ures, as well as in the planting of additional trees and shrubs. Fancy shrubberies and flower borders partic- ularly demand limitation, no matter how fashionably patronized, for, if immoderately extended, as they very often are, they only mark the triumph of luxury over elegance, and afford a poor compensation for the nat- ural advantage of beautiful green grass plats, that can always be kept in order with little expense.
"It is always pleasing," says another author, "to find a plain monument, perfectly clean and neat, in a secluded spot, with no flaunting ornaments to attract the eye of the careless lounger, but environed only by the verdant turf which nature herself cherishes. Our ceme- teries are, however, too generally disgraced by profane and ridiculous memorials, and the sinner is encouraged in wickedness by that which ought to excite his terror and remorse." Picton also very suitably remarks,
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Introduction.
soothing "Our burial places should bear a solemn and character, equally remote from fanatical gloom and con- ceited affectation."
In relation to the improvement of individual burial lots in Spring Grove, I am happy to say that, in that particular, of late years, considerable good taste has been displayed by lot-holders. A large number of them have adopted a method, which, for simplicity, appropriateness, and durability, deserves the attention of all those who wish to make permanent improve- ments that will take care of themselves, and cost but a trifle, when compared with the old method of deco- rating lots. The portions of the grounds improved on the new plan, already form a striking contrast to some of the older parts, where head and foot stones, hedges, fences, and toys of all descriptions, are huddled together in such profusion as to prevent the workmen of the corporation from keeping those places in the same good order as the first named, notwithstanding all the outlay and exertion on the part of the agents of the corporation, to satisfy every reasonable demand of lot- holders. There are, however, some individuals who expect their crowded little plats to have the same appearance as those where broad undulations of green turf prevail, adorned here and there only with a noble family monument, and at proper intervals shaded with suitable trees. Such lots, blending the elegance of a park with the pensive beauty of a burial place, confer
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Spring Grove Cemetery.
on the whole a grace and dignity which can never be attained in situations, where every foot of ground is occupied with ornamental puerilities. "Why," says Washington Irving, "should we seek to clothe death with unnecessary terrors, and spread horrors around the tomb of those we love? The grave should be surrounded with objects that might inspire tenderness and veneration."
Enclosures around burial lots, in a well-governed cemetery, detract from the sacredness of the scene, by supposing it possible that such a place would be visited by persons incapable of conducting themselves prop- erly, or that the grounds were pastured by cattle. They also cause considerable inconvenience when interments are made, as well as in the erection of monuments, and cost the corporation more labor than most persons are aware of. "There is nothing so much to be lamented," says an eminent author, "as that, when a piece of work has been badly done, it should remain a blemish to the whole, if afterward a better idea has arisen ; and, although it may occasion regret that the cost of reform- ing it should be thrown away, the fear of wasting a trifle should not be suffered to destroy the effect of the whole."
Proprietors of lots, wishing to erect monuments, would do well to avail themselves of the advice of per- sons known to possess a correct taste, and whose study and avocation is to design such work, and try to make
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Introduction.
a real addition to the attractions of a place in whose beauty so many have an interest, instead of listening to the advice of those who are merely interested in the sale of stone work. "Correct judgment," says the great Canova, "the gift of the Creator, conferred, however, on few, is the secret power of the arts, as it is in every other species of excellence: and, as the triumph of the orator, according to Cicero, is to move and affect his audience, so the triumph of the artist is the effective use of the passions of his work. Shame, therefore, to him who is content with pleasing only for his day."
There are some parts of this cemetery where lot- holders have invested money in stone work, as if the embellishment of a burial place depended upon their outlays, and have produced effects, which people of cultivation regret, though they can not amend. Such improvements, however inappropriate, are, nevertheless, evidences of the existence of those means, which, if properly applied, would produce monuments worthy of admiration, instead of gew-gaws manifesting pretension only. We should always bear in mind that, in every new improvement, we seek to express, not only the limited excellence of what now exists, but the antici- pated culture of a day not yet arrived. "A garden cemetery and monumental decoration," says the learned and eloquent author of Necropolis Glasguensis, "af- ford the most convincing proof of a nation's progress in civilization, and in the arts which are its results."
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Spring Grove Cemetery.
"The tomb, in fact, has been the great chronicler of taste throughout the world. In the far East, from the hoary pyramid to the modern Arab's grave, in Europe, from the rude tomb of the Druid to the marble mau- soleum of the monarch, and in America, from the grove which the Indian chief planted around the sepul- cher of his son to the monument which announces to the lovers of freedom the last resting-place of Wash- ington."
In order to prevent our rural cemeteries from assuming, in the course of time, a crowded appearance, there should be a standing rule, preventing the erection of more than one monument to each family burial lot. This should be placed in the center, and on a solid foundation not less than six feet deep, the usual depth of graves, so that burials can be made around the monument, and the respective inscriptions placed thereon, thus saving the expense of head and foot stones, which always more or less convey the idea of a potters field, particularly where single interments are located, and where people to all appearances vie with each other in procuring the tallest head stones and the largest amount of ornament, causing great difficulty in keeping such places in proper order. Wherever grave marks are necessary, they should project but little above the surface of the ground, and be not much larger than ordinary land marks to lots, but placed deep enough to be below the action of frost.
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Introduction.
In some instances lot-holders have planted a tree in place of the monument until a suitable one can be procured, or, sometimes, even to remain permanently, which is very desirable on sections where there is already a great abundance of. tomb stones. In that case grave marks are desirable. "Limited pecuniary means (says the author of Rural Cemeteries of Amer- ica, in his valuable hints on Greenwood, near New York), will probably ever be a reason why the majority of the tributes to the departed will be of a simple char- acter, and erected at small expense. But good taste is, happily, not subservient to the power of gold, and should ever be consulted, even in the simplest memo- rial."
Of all the different materials used in the construc- tion of monuments granite seems to be the most durable, and is, therefore, the best and cheapest in the end. "Even the best Italian marble will soon lose its glossy surface in this changeable climate, and a few years' exposure to those sudden frosts and thaws are sufficient to seriously damage, and often destroy the finest monuments constructed of this otherwise beau- tiful material."
The varieties of marble used in modern times are exceedingly numerous. Almost every mountainous country in the world produces this mineral, but the finest and best come from Italy, particularly the black and milk white marble which is found about Carrara. .
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Spring Grove Cemetery.
The ancients wore supplied with this stone from quar- ries which are at present almost entirely unknown. The authors who treat of the marbles of the ancients are Ernesti, Winkelmann, and de Launay, Mineralogie des Ancient.
Bronze, on the other hand, is not affected by the weather, and almost defies the touch of carelessness or malice, and is, on this account, best adapted for monu- ments on public squares in cities.
The various kinds of sandstones, brown, gray, and white, when of the best quality, are admirably suited for monumental uses, and form an agreeable contrast to the monotonous whiteness produced by the superabundance of glaring white marble structures so common in most burial grounds. Sandstone is a species of stone composed essentially of sandy parti- cles, generally of quartz, sometimes mixed with feld- spar or particles of slate. When the substance which cements or binds these particles together is lime, the stone is termed calcareous sandstone; sometimes it is oxide of iron mixed with alumina. Some of the sand- stones of the secondary strata are composed of grains of silex, and are often almost as durable as granite, which can be seen on the ruins of many old churches in England, parts of which preserve their angular sharpness as fresh as if they had just been worked, although some of them have stood over six hundred years.
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Introduction.
It may be remarked that silicious stones are the least liable to decay, but when they are mixed with other substances, no one but a skillful mineralogist is able to judge of its durability. Stones which, when immersed in water, absorb the smallest quantity, may be depended on as those which will the longer resist the effects of the atmosphere. It is now a com- mon practice in many countries to rub with oil the calcareous sandstones, and this must, in a considerable degree, contribute to its durability by resisting the absorption of water. It is only to be regretted that, of late years, it has been found almost impossible to erect a monument of sandstone without having some defect- ive pieces in it; this can be seen in every- structure erected, and even on those in the course of erection throughout the country.
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