Forget-Me-Nots

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     It's always a joy to come upon forget-me-nots. They bloom in spring with delicate blue petals, often along streams or in damp places. But this post isn't about wildflowers, no matter how charming they are. It's about the many small cemeteries,  all but faded from memory, that lie hidden in the hills of Washington County.

     Over Memorial Day weekend there will be parades and solemn ceremonies. Flowers will be placed and flags will identify the graves of veterans. It's a time to remember those who came before us, their sacrifices. For good reason most of these observances will take place in larger, well-maintained cemeteries. 

     But there are other graveyards that have become obscure and overgrown. Hardly remembered at all. I think of these as the 'forget-me-nots'. Places whose stones memorialize lives no less important because they were lived quietly long ago.

     Every year I search out and visit some of these nearly lost sites. Sometimes I find them from topographic maps where they are noted with 'Cem' beside a small block. Others I have simply came upon while wandering backroads or been guided to by locals. Further sources include town historians and the Washington County Historical Society in Fort Edward where you can browse the notebooks compiled by the Moores which catalog every grave site they found in the County. 

     The following images come mostly from the Town of Easton. I hope they encourage you to seek out sites where you live. It's a rewarding way to connect with 'place' and those from the past who shaped it.

This small plot sits on a knoll beside Easton Station Road.

It's nicely maintained with Whelden Mountain providing a scenic backdrop.

An ornate iron fence encloses a few stones at this spot.

It's along Intervale Road not far from Willard Mountain.

Sun dappled stones in the Tubbs-Rathburn Family Cemetery.

The oldest grave marker in Easton is found here.

Iron fencing within iron fencing at the Brownell Cemetery

on Meeting House Road. Peaceful and well cared for.

These images are from three separate sites along Hoag and 

Beadle Hill Roads. All could use some TLC.

A sprawling oak tree watches over these graves at the 

intersection of Lee's Crossing and Mead Road in the Town of Cambridge.

I came away bloodied from thorns at this totally overgrown,

hard to see plot along Co. 54 at Crandalls Corners.

The oddest find were these flat lying memorials near the corner 

of Co. 113 and Wright Road. I was told a previous owner placed

them here after they began tipping over and breaking off. The 

current farmer plans to dig a pond for his ducks but is concerned

about where the bodies were interred. A well founded concern, most would agree.

Call this the Tangled Tree Cemetery. Several stones 

lie amongst the prostrate limbs on a knoll above Ensign Brook.

Long shadows at this tidy graveyard 

on Col. Baume Road.

Certainly not hidden or forgotten, still I have to include 

the Stump Church. With its stately architecture, its adjacent cemetery

and a row of majestic maples it epitomizes 'Country Church'.

I always feel uplifted whenever I visit this Town of Cambridge landmark.

 

     The Sun eventually sets on every day and every one. This was the scene along the Hudson as I finished up my tour. Hope you take a little time to reflect on the fleeting gift of life this Memorial Day.