Cemeteries Offer
Many Delights

Along with many other folks in the Upper Valley, I am concerned about the recent headline news of an old cemetery in Hartland being moved. It seems to me that the issue isn’t for the courts to decide.

How can Mr. Guite hold his head up, much less go to court over this matter? What kind of person would consider moving a cemetery? They have been for centuries of time places set aside as nearly sacred. Even if you have money enough to move a cemetery, how can one consider doing that—just to build a house?

Where is respect for family, history, culture and other people?

Children aren’t frightened by gravestones until an adult poses this information to them. It is just another rock. Our elementary school and surrounding playground was scant feet away from one of Pomfret’s largest cemeteries.

We spent the winter sliding up and down the paths on that hill. We learned where to walk respectfully around the headstones. We learned to read dates, names and inscriptions on them. We carried flowers to place on the stones.

Memorial Day exercises concluded with gathering bouquets of lilacs and being given small American flags which we proudly placed on the soldiers’ graves as we marched up the paths.

We ate our lunches sitting on the wide stone wall with feet swinging as we watched owls and birds in the adjoining woods.

A house could sit proudly beside or near without warping children in any way. I would think one would be proud to be there to take care of the important piece of history which a cemetery becomes.

Lots for cemeteries were chosen carefully with respect for land use, proximity to homes and care. And after all, those ancestors were Vermonters first.

Vivian M. Moore

Sharon

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