Colchester Cemeteries Quest - Exploring History, Part 3

 

Both the fifth and sixth cemetery visits required longer rides. The smallest, Champlain Cemetery stands on a slight hill, tucked between woods, by far the quaintest of all. I immediately recognized the Vermont Old Cemetery Association's work on repaired headstones.

I liked this design with inscriptions: husband, Sherman "He rests from his labors & his works do follow him" and his wife, Lavinia "She hath done what she could".

I love the interesting old names: Rufus, Philura, Marilla, Hector, and Amelia. When wandering cemeteries, I notice some names are common today, while others have disappeared from our naming lexicon. 

Rufus Thompson was killed in the Battle of Gettysburg and was buried there. It must have been difficult for his parents, Philura and David - and for all parents of early war casualties to not have their loved ones' bodies brought home.

The Monty name, less commonly spelled "Montey," appears on several gravestones. I presume they are all related to the Monty's in the Munson Cemetery. 

Though I gravitate to the older stones for their creative descriptions, mostly absent from current gravestones (likely due to cost), each cemetery has its share of recent burials, too. 

The following day, the weather held and I visited the last cemetery on my list. From relatively tiny Champlain Cemetery, Fort Ethan Allen Cemetery is vastly different. The flat burial ground reminded me of a small-scale Arlington National Cemetery, primarily housing veterans and their families. The flag-adorned plots bordered a busy highway.

I can usually find something interesting: an epitaph, a unique headstone, but I was struck by the sheer number of simple headstones. This cemetery is also close to a former military fort, its namesake. Established as a cavalry post in 1894 and closed in 1944, Fort Ethan Allen was strategically located to protect the northern borders; its grounds are now a National Historic District. The brick buildings remain, refitted into housing and businesses.

This concludes my quest to visit 6 cemeteries maintained by my community of Colchester.