48 
PARK AND CE/AETERY. 
Costly Burial Grounds at Franklin, Mass. 
The work upon the Ray family burial plat which 
was abandoned early last fall, owing to the severe 
weather, has been resumed. 
This will be a most attractive private burial 
ground, and is being executed under the direction 
of Messrs. Gray and Blaisdell, landscape architects 
of Boston. This lot which contains about an acre, 
adjoins the old town cemetery on the south-west, 
and is a gently rolling tract. Upon its principal 
summit the main or family plat is situated, which 
is elliptical in form, eighty feet by one hundred 
feet, raised slightly above the winding drives lead- 
ing to it, and divided by broad walks into four 
plats for the various branches of the family, each 
approach having broad platforms and easy steps, 
with simple buttresses and bases, which will carry 
large bronze urns for the reception of tropical 
plants. 
An encircling path surrounds a central grass 
plat which contains an attractive monument of el- 
liptical design and fine proportions. The lot will 
also contain areas for other families; — the whole 
arranged upon the lawn plan, with appropriate and 
attractive plantings. 
The main entrances from Central Street to these 
grounds will be by a walled entrance; the walls be- 
ing semi-elliptic in plan with carriage gateway, and 
two narrower side gates; these walls are to be built 
of seam faced granite, selected for its varied shad- 
ing, with base and capping of finely cut Milford 
granite. The gates of wrought iron in chaste de- 
sign will be supported by massive masonry posts; 
the whole forming an ornamental feature and a 
most attractive approach to the grounds. 
In furtherance of the suggestions of the land- 
scape architects, the selectmen of the town have pe- 
titioned the Massachusetts legislature for the priv- 
ilege of taking a few feet from the cemetery for the 
purpose of improving Central Street along the cem- 
etery grounds. 
The entire work will be executed in a substan- 
tial and attractive manner at a cost of about $25,- 
000 and will be supplied with a fund to keep the 
whole in order. 
The Proposed Park System of Troy. N. Y. 
With a population of some 65,000, the city of 
Troy has no public recreation grounds worthy of 
the name of park, and an initiatory movement look- 
ing to a permanent scheme of such improvement in 
keeping with the needs and desires of the citizens 
was not taken until October, 1894. Mr. Wm. S. 
Cgerton, landscape architect, was then engaged to 
report upon a park scheme, and the report was ren- 
dered in February last. 
After a careful personal examination of all the 
available territory within and without the present 
city limits, Mr. Egerton settled upon two localities 
which he deemed to possess the desirable featur- 
es for the construction of two parks of ample area, 
one to be situated in the northern and one in the 
southern portions of the city, both to be connected 
by a broad and attractive parkway. The map fur- 
nished outlined a sufficient area in both locations 
to secure desirable topographical features and to af- 
ford proper approaches. 
Speaking of the boundaries of urban parks 
the report states; “No desirable features in the 
design of an urban park can be more strongly in- 
sisted upon than this: That such area should be 
bounded by public thoroitghfares and not by private 
properties. This regulates and defines the rights 
of the bordering properties and relieves the author- 
ities from endless demands of one kind and an- 
other. 
The properties suggested to be acquired for the 
purpose are largely farming lands and there are no 
constructions of material value within the limits. 
This north park when improved will afford some 
delightful views, of far reaching extent, as well as 
embrace within itself a variety of park landscape, 
including considerable water area of diversified 
shore line. The area included in the design of 
the North Park is close upon 270 acres. 
A very picturesque site is that selected for the 
South Park, a valley with a running stream, widen- 
ing into several lakes, and affording splendid op- 
portunities for effective treatment, which the sketch 
map indicates has been taken advantage of. The 
irregular outline of the lakes and the meandering 
stream, running lengthwise through the property 
creates a diversity of feature which directly en- 
hances the attractiveness of the site. 
For park purposes, from a financial standpoint, 
this property is desirable in that it would involve 
immense expense to prepare it for purposes of in- 
vestment, and therefore its cost should be reasona- 
ble. 
The estimated possible cost per acre for the 
North Park, not including land, and depending up- 
on the topography and character of surface treat- 
ment, would not be less than ^500 and in some por- 
tions might amount to $1,000. For the South 
Park, with the treatment suggested, an expenditure 
of probably less than $500 per acre would suffice. 
The report ably discusses the advantages of 
parks to the community both upon ethical and bus- 
iness grounds, and urges upon the citizens of Troy 
to embrace the inviting opportunities now before 
them to secure such desirable and beneficial public 
improvements. 
