Hope Cemetery

Hope Cemetery is located in Barre, Vermont, the self-proclaimed "Granite Capital of the World", and is renowned for the superb granite craftsmanship on its memorials and tombstones.

History

Hope Cemetery was established in 1895, and then consisted of 53 acres. It was designed and planned by the renowned landscape architect Edward P. Adams. [http://www.central-vt.com/visit/cemetery/index.html Central-VT.com] ]

By 1895, skilled artisans from around the world, especially Italy, had been flocking to Barre to become a part of the booming granite industry. One of the main uses of granite throughout the country was in tombstones and memorials. It is estimated that one third of all memorials in the United States came from Barre.

Silicosis, a respiratory disease caused by granite dust, was common among the artisans and sculptors who were breathing it in every day, which led to an abnormally high death rate. In addition, the Spanish Flu epidemic from 1918-19 caused many additional deaths, adding to the need for tombstones.

Knowing that death was imminent and possibly around the corner, many sculptors were given to designing their own tombstones to showcase their skill. It is estimated that 75% of the tombstones were designed by the current occupants of the graves. [ [http://www.thespec.com/Wire/article/216667 TheSpec.com] ]

Today

Hope Cemetery has since grown in size to 65 acres (26 hectares), [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19666693/ MSNBC.com] ] and there are more than 10,000 tombstones and memorials located inside. Every single stone is made out of "Barre Grey" granite. [ [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/VTBARhopecemetery.html RoadSideAmerica.com] ]

The cemetery is a common tourist destination, and has been referred to as a "'Museum' of granite sculpture," [ [http://www.superpages.com/cities/mtg/38073/ SuperPages.com] ] the "Uffizi of Necropolises," by Vermont folklorist Joseph A. Citro, [ [http://www.weirdus.com/stories/VT03.asp WeirdUS.com] ] a "Gallery of granite artistry," [http://www.newenglandtravelplanner.com/go/vt/north_vt/montpelier/barre.html NewEnglandTravelPlanner.com] ] a "sculpture garden" and a "Huge outdoor museum." [ [http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070618/NEWS02/706180306 BurlingtonFreePress.com] ] Guided tours are available for a small fee, [ [http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2007/06/17/dying_art_at_hope_cemetery_gravestones_are_showpieces/ Boston.com] ] but driving or walking through the cemetery to look at the sculptures and memorials is common practice and encouraged.

It is still possible for ornate and unusual tombstones to be put into Hope Cemetery. These large memorials can range in cost from $20,000 - 30,000+. Simple headstones cost about $2,000. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/06/america/NA-FEA-A-E-ART-US-Cemetery-Art.php IHT.com] ]

Hope Cemetery is Barre's largest cemetery [ [http://www.am1220.ca/news/entertainment/viewstory.php?story=e070809A.xml AM1220.com] ] out of the three managed by the city of Barre. [http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0310/feature6/fulltext.html NationalGeographic.com] ]

Hope Cemetery was featured in a story run recently by the Associated Press. [ [http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO56861/ WHDH.com] ] It was also featured in a segment in National Geographic on cities and towns in America. Additionally, the cemetery was among those profiled in the 2005 PBS documentary "A Cemetery Special".

ources