Archeologists have yet to determine if these earlier burials were original to the land, or if they were reburied from other burial grounds at a later date. Spring Brook is presently scouring old documents from Cemetery Records to see if they can find more. The earliest newspaper in Mansfield was the Mansfield News in 1873, so there are no articles that can be researched to determine more accurate info of the deaths and burials in the town. Despite being consecrated in 1860 as a non-profit, non-denominational cemetery, the earliest date on a monument is 1790 and the land had been used as a burial space up until it’s consecration 70 years later. In 2007 Spring Brook Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Despite the ever-growing to-do list, Grant and McNatt seem determined that the projects will be completed, and from what I’ve learned about what they’ve accomplished already, I believe it too! Sadly, this is the case for many old cemeteries as they develop into a future that seems increasingly set on forgetting them. A few weeks ago, a truck carrying a backhoe came through the gates and knocked the massive granite Spring Brook entrance sign to the ground! Another challenging item to add to Grant and McNatt’s ever-growing ledger. But it appears time and its habit of decay is outpacing the number of grants available to Spring Brook. In the past, Spring Brook received a grant and retained the services of the conservators of Beyond the Gravestone (great name). As we walk there are a number of old stones in need of preservation. PRESERVATION & HISTORYĭespite the pandemic (which is overwhelming many cemeteries), sales at Spring Brook have been low leaving David Grant and his fellow board member Kevin McNatt (who is also President of the Mansfield Historical Society) in a number of financial binds. Realism, which far too often challenges Spring Brook Cemetery. A unique combination that lends itself to a great deal of passion and a curbing sense of realism. Poignantly observing the President of this cemetery stop at his son’s grave, I realize he is both client and salesperson, visitor and security, genealogist and the genes themselves. Stewardship in cemeteries (especially very old ones) often comes in the form of an adopted fondness–a rogue genealogist seeing a need and filling a need, a parks department official slowly fixing a decrepit perimeter, a member of a local historical society meandering through a maze of archives… And a range of his other family members going back generations are scattered throughout the cemetery. His son is buried in this spot and it was his 54th birthday recently. “My wife left out his favorite cupcakes the other day” he says as we stop to look. They are evidence of a visitor to often lonely places.įor David Grant, the President of Spring Brook cemetery, the continuing story of the cemetery is also a personal one, a thought that becomes apparent to me as we happen upon a tombstone bearing the name “Grant”. While I maintain concern for the environment, the preservation of the stones, as well as the groundskeeper’s equipment, I can’t help but be poignantly charmed by the thoughtfulness and personality these mementos give to the modern inexpressive granite blocks. In the cemetery community there is often a harsh judgement placed on these mementos and those who leave them. I even saw a toy horse at the grave of a horse aficionado. Journey through a late 20th – early 21st century cemetery and you’ll find mementos of plastic or stone left by the active family members missing their loved one, and bringing them tokens and treats, much as they did when they were alive. At the turn of the 19th century burial tastes rapidly developed and so did the design and aesthetic of modern day death paraphernalia. The difference between the two sides of the cemetery is stark. On the opposite side of the cemetery, modern monuments stand with sleek and shiny granite polished and etched into familiar terms of endearment, and many a “fishing with dad” reference.
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