194 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
CEMETERY NOTES. 
The new vault at the Somerton Hills Cemetery, Philadel- 
phia, Pa., is nearing completion. Its cost is #75,000. 
* • * 
The city council of New Bedford, INIass., has voted #4,500 
for the expenses of the city cemeteries for the remainder of the 
fiscal year. 
* * * 
The cenKtery at Carson Cit}', Mich., was despoiled by van- 
dals last month. Some 25 monuments and .■•labs were broken, 
and 30 more overthrown. Many cannot be repaired. No mo- 
tive but sheer ruffianism can be ascribed for the act. 
-» » * 
The movement has started for the removal of the remains 
of the Confederate deael lying inNorihern cemeteries to South- 
ern cemeteries or private burial grounds. Congress, in the 
sundry civil bill, approved June 6, provided for the disinter- 
ment of these bodies and their removal to the South. 
Mr. J. F. Knudsen, architect, has prepared plans for an at- 
tractive entrance to Mount Olive cemeter}'. North fixty fourth 
avenue and Irving Park boulevard, Chicago. It will be b _ilt of 
Bedford stone, with a frontage of 107 feet. At one end is the 
office, 41 by 43 feet, and a bell tower 70 feet high. Cost, $ 12 , 000 . 
* * * 
Plans for chapel and receiving vault have been decided 
upon by the directors of Oraceland cemetery. New Castle, Pa. 
The building will be constructed on Oothic lines of greenstone, 
trimmed with brown stone, and roofed with red tile. The in- 
terior will be of fireproof construction, w'th open timber roof^ 
tile floor and cut glass windows. The vault will be in the base- 
ment of the chapel and with modern improvements. The de- 
signs are by W. G. Eckels, architect. Cost, #10, coo. 
■» » * 
Dr. II. H. Kane, president of the New York Road Drivers’ 
Association, has i-sued an appeal for the establishment of dog 
cemeteries in the larger cities of the United States. London 
and Paris and possibly other capital cities have such cemeterie.‘=, 
but if the money to be expended for such a purpose could be 
diverted to the use of those humanitarians who are fighting a 
great fight to prevent cruelty to animals, and whese work has 
made thus far so little impression on the public mind, a great 
good to American civilization would result. 
* ■» » 
Mount Hope cemetery, Sparta, Wis., is an example of a 
cemetery in which the women of the town take an active inter- 
est and are represented in its management. Thirty-eight 3 ears 
ago it was started as an individual property, but for the past 5 
vears it has been in the hands of an association, and is now 
operating under perpetual care. All moneys received are ex- 
pended in improvements except a ten per cent, reservation for 
perpetual care. Manv improvements are being made, and it is 
rapidly becoming a beautiful spot. 
* » * 
IMount Moriah cemeter3-, Philadelphia, Pa., offers an inter- 
esting object lesson on what eccentiicity can bequeath to us: 
“Some twent3- years ago three eccentric men of wealth put up 
in the most secluded corner three tall shafts of rough hewn 
granite. The3' had been friends a long time, and the3- agreed 
as each died his shaft was to be broken and the fragments left 
where the3’ fell. The second of this trio has just passed away 
and his column has been shattered, as was that of his former 
friend \-cars ago. No fence encloses the strange monuments 
and no names are carved on the granite. ” 
* * * 
There is a gravestone, 200 years old, lying in the north 
aisle of old Christ church, Philadelphia, Pa., which is looked 
upon with considerable awe by the vi rger of the church. It is 
of greenish soapstone, and has at its head a skull and cross- 
bones and hour glass, with the following inscriptions beneath: 
“Here lieth the bod3’ of Nicholas Pearse, who departed this life 
the 23d of November, 1700.“ “Also Mary, the wife of said 
Nicholas Pearse, who died the 21st of Dcm., 1713.’' Also, Tin- 
acia, the wife of Reese, and sole child of aforesaid Mary 
Pearse, who died the 27th of Dcm , 1714.” The stone is said 
to act as a barometer, wet Idotchcs appearing on its face at the 
approach of rain. 
* * * 
Col. LfcGrand B. Cannon, of Burlington, Vt , recently 
made arrangements to carr}- out a scheme for the protection 
and preservation of the grave of John Brown, at North Elba, 
N. Y., which has been so neglected as to be almost lost sight of. 
The grave is five milts from North Elba and in the open fields 
which John Brown cleared for the use of negroes before he 
made his rai l upon Harper’s F^rr}-, and close to the old 
shingled Cottage which he built with his own labor. Recent 13- 
Col. Cannon put a force t f men with a landscape gardener to 
grading and terracing the plot of land, and when completed be 
will build an iron fence 75 feet long on the four sides around 
the grave, with a suitable inscription on the panel. The en- 
closure will be known as John Brown’s park. 
* * * 
The people of Lancaster, Pa., are considerably wrought up 
on the question of exchanging lots in Greenwood cemetery for 
the lots of lot holders in Shreiuer's cemetery, an acre tract in 
the heart of Lancaster where reposes the bod}’ of the great 
commoner, Thaddeus Stevens. It is stated that the exchange 
is for the purpose of securing to the owners of Greenwood val- 
uable building sites. Upwards of a hundred of Shreiner's lot 
holders have accepted the proposition, which includes the 
tr nsfer of the bodies at the expense of the Greenwood people, 
and the latter say that the great statesman's only and distant 
relatives in the West have Consented to the removal of his body 
to Greenwood. It is looked on as sacrilege to disturb the re- 
mains, and it is hoped the local historical society w’ill oppose 
it. Stevens was the l.fe-long champion of the negro race, and 
he selected Shreiner's because it is the only cemetery here 
where burial can be made regardless of color. Under such 
circumstances his wishes should be forever sacred. 
* * 4 
The C unbridge. Mass , Cemetery commission are pushing 
the work of preserving the tombs and graves in the old Garden 
street bur} iug ground, located just above Harvard square be- 
tween the First parish church and historic Christ church. This 
burying ground is one of the oldest in the country, and is the 
resting place of many distinguished men of revolutionary days. 
The row of tombs in the rear of the cemetery is in the worst 
condition. The tombs and sarcophagi had been badly sprung 
by the weather, the brick work having fallen away and the 
stone caps and entrances heaved out of their places. Further- 
more, the mortar had crumbled and was entirely useless. It 
was decided at once to straighten out these tombs as far as pos- 
sible, lift the old stones from the grourd and set them up in 
concrete beds. Those stones that had become badly cra*Ved 
were filled up with German cement, thus taking away, in a 
measure, the temptation to chip and slice from curio hunters. 
The work has gone on in excellent shape, though slowly, and 
before winter sets in it is hoped that the greater part will be 
completed. 
