Hope Cemetery is a

rural cemetery A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-19th century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries, which tended to be churchyards. Rural cemeter ...

Barre, Vermont Barre, Vermont may refer to: *Barre (city), Vermont *Barre (town), Vermont Barre ( ) is a New England town, town in Washington County, Vermont, Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,923 at the 2020 census, making it the ...

. The city calls itself the "Granite Capital of the World", and the cemetery is known for the superb

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

craftsmanship on its memorials and

tombstones A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...

History

Hope Cemetery was established in 1895, with the purchase of 53 acres of farmland for $7,000. It was designed by the

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manage ...

Edward P. Adams. By 1895, skilled artisans from around the world, especially Italy, emigrated to Barre to participate in 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 Silicosis is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust. It is marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of Nodule (medicine), nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. It is a type of pneum ...

, 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 1918–1919

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

epidemic 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 occupants of the graves.

Today

Hope Cemetery has since grown in size to , and there are more than 10,000 tombstones and memorials located inside. All of its stones are made from "Barre Grey" granite. The cemetery is a common tourist destination, and has been referred to as a "'Museum' of granite sculpture," the "

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of th ...

of Necropolises", by

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

Joseph A. Citro Joseph A. Citro is a Vermont author and folklorist who has extensively researched and documented the folklore, hauntings, Ghost story, ghost stories, Paranormal, paranormal activity and Occult, occult happenings of New England. Early life and edu ...

, a "Gallery of granite artistry," a "sculpture garden" and a "Huge outdoor museum." It is still possible for ornate and unusual tombstones to be put into Hope Cemetery. These large memorials can range in cost from US$20,000–30,000+. Simple headstones cost about $2,000. Hope is the largest of three cemeteries managed by the city of Barre. It was featured in a story run by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, and was also featured in a segment in

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

on cities and towns in America.

Notable burials

Frank Gaylord Frank Chalfant Gaylord II (March 9, 1925 – March 21, 2018) was an American sculptor best known for "The Column", a sculptural tableau of United States soldiers and sailors which is part of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. C ...

(1925–2018), sculptor

Gallery

File:HopeBarre01.JPG, Gravestone with a reproduction of Michelangelo's ''Pietà''. File:HopeBarre02.JPG, Gravestone of a pilot. File:HopeBarre03.JPG, Gravestone of a 13-year-old soccer enthusiast. File:HopeBarre04.JPG, Detail of artwork on the gravestone of a well driller.

References

Citations Sources *

External links

* * {{GNIS, type=retired, 1457886 1895 establishments in Vermont Barre (city), Vermont Buildings and structures in Washington County, Vermont Cemetery art Cemeteries established in the 1890s Cemeteries in Vermont Rural cemeteries Spanish flu monuments and memorials Tourist attractions in Washington County, Vermont