Nestled atop a hillside overlooking Rockwood Lake along Butternut Hollow Road is this ancient public cemetery. Its numerous fieldstone markers conceal forever the identities of those interred here centuries ago.
Tranquil and mysterious, the Old Burying Ground at Clapboard Ridge beckons visitors to contemplate its secrets. I first encountered this site in the late 1980s as Greenwich was counting down towards its 350th year celebrations in 1990.
At that time the Greenwich Historical Society had created at my request and Burial Grounds Committee. As a member of the Board -and one of its youngest ever- we discovered that many of the town's historic cemetery sites were in poor condition. Our committee teamed up with local Scout troops, homeowners associations, literally anyone willing to spend time and energy to clean up these sites. Based on what I saw here today, it's apparent that our efforts paid off.
 |
| This is the soul effigy of Garrot Schotler, whose identity is a mystery. His gravestone features one of the few soul effigies found on any gravestones in Greenwich. You'll find these in one two other places: Tomac Cemetery in Old Greenwich and the Old Burying Ground at Cos Cob on Strickland Road. |
 |
| This is a broken-off section of a gravestone for Lincoln Mead, whose farm was nearby. |
 |
| A few select fieldstone markers like this one feature a mere initial or two of those whose burials are marked. |
No comments:
Post a Comment