February 2007
Welcome to 2007 and the start of The Gravestone Girls seventh year in the public eye!
We made a resolution to keep in touch and share our sojourns, which gives us a great excuse to conjure up new adventures! We now bring you the first Epitaph for the new year.....
To start the year off right, we made a trip to Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA for a special presentation on cremation. We joked that this may just be an infomercial for using their facilities, but it happily turned out to be the great learning experience we were hoping for. Our host for the afternoon was Walter Morrison, head of cremation services at Mt. Auburn. He gave a great talk in Mt. Auburns' gorgeous, gothic Bigelow Chapel about the history and misconceptions about cremation.
And on top of that, the second part of the tour took us to see the Retorts (please don't call them ovens) where the cremations take place. Mr. Morrison was funny and informative. He candidly shared some serious moments and some very entertaining accounts of his experiences during his 23 years at Mt. Auburn. It would seem bad behavior to laugh in church, especially at a topic like death and mortal remains, but we all did it and without a speck of guilt and learned much in the process.
Did you know.....
The first cremation at Mt. Auburn took place April 1, 1900. To date they have carried out over 60,000 cremations.
Massachusetts has a 48 hour waiting period before cremating. This allows time for the deceaseds relatives to change their mind about cremation and/or time for an autopsy and medical examiner review should foul play be suspected.
In Massachusetts, all crematoriums must be located in a cemetery.
In Massachusetts you can transport your own dead to the crematorium.
85% of cremations are unaccounted for---i.e.: no record of the final resting place of the cremains (although they may be in someone's home, have been scattered, buried, etc).
The cremains from a human body result in about 3-5 pounds of material. Our bodies are over 70% water, so much of what burns off is liquid and tissue. Bone burns between 1700-2000 degrees F. However, after cremation some bones are sizable and recognizable. Cremains are processed through a type of grinder to make little pieces out of big pieces. You are not reduced to ashes, it's more like pea gravel. A good base for potting plants.
During the Plague in Europe there were so many bodies to dispose of, they were piled in the streets and set afire. Originally called a bone-fire, it got shortened overtime to the term we are familiar with now = bonfire. Keep that in mind the next time you're invited to one.
Remember: ashes to ashes; dust to dust. When being cremated, an urn is a must.
Stay tuned for the next Epitaph Volume, where we'll have a story to tell about a GG roadtrip to the very empty, much discussed and totally under construction landscape of Danvers State Hospital and its cemeteries.
Memento Mori!
Brenda, Maggie & Melissa
The Gravestone Girls -
Putting the 'Rave' Back in Grave
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Grave Detail
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Elder's Urn
A new addition to the GG Catalog! Behold! Elder's Urn. This gorgeous creature was taken from the gravestone of Mrs. Comfort Ballou, Relict of Levi Ballou, Esq. She departed this life October 28, 1826. In the 81st year of her age.
Her body lies within the grave
No earthly comforts more to have
Her spirit rose to realms above
Mrs. Ballou and her gravestone lie eternally in Elder Ballou Historic Cemetery #27 in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Her gravestone is signed by "Tingley".
Learn More
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Epitaph Enlightenment
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Edgar Allan Poe
Born: January 19, 1809
Died: October 7, 1849
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This month, we pay tribute to poet E.A. Poe by telling you about the mysterious "Poe Toaster."
The unexplained tradition was established in 1949 and has occurred on the author's birthday of every year since. In the early hours of the morning on that date, a black-clad figure with a silver-tipped cane enters the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore, Maryland. The individual proceeds to Poe's grave, where he or she raises a cognac toast. Before departing, the Toaster leaves three red roses and a half-bottle of cognac on the grave. The roses are believed to represent Poe, his wife Virginia and his mother-in-law Maria Clemm, all three of whom are interred at the site. The significance of the cognac itself is unknown. Many of the bottles left behind have been taken and stored by the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore.
The Toaster wears a black coat and hat, and obscures his or her face with a scarf or hood. A group of reporters and Poe enthusiasts are usually on hand to observe the event. Generally, none have attempted to interfere with the Toaster's entry, tribute or departure or to identify the individual out of respect for the tradition (and, perhaps, the mystery).
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