09/18/2021
Friends of Broad Street Cemetery (FOBS) Newsletter Fall 2021
Greetings to all. Due to ongoing concerns about the Coronavirus, FOBS will not be scheduling in person meetings for the time being. This newsletter will continue until we can meet safely.
Current Events
* The 2021 Memorial Day Ceremony (YouTube video Salem 2021 Memorial Day Ceremony) was a beautiful event. Our president Michael said afterward, "Thanks especially, Sarah, for all your work helping to assure things were in order and, Ken, for the flags which were a real welcoming gesture for everyone. This was certainly the biggest event in the Cemetery in a very, very long time! The big gate on Summer Street was even opened up. Having the Mayor, City Councilors, State Rep, State Senator all there will hopefully be of benefit in some ways going forward in terms of support for restoration and rehabilitation. Hearing music in the cemetery - Salem High Band- was also inspiring!" He noted that the Friends were acknowledged at least twice by the speakers. The image above was taken during the moving "empty chair ceremony" when a representative of each branch of military service placed a symbol of honor near the chair representing those who gave their lives.
Cemetery Notes From our Board:
* A Note on Early Gravestone Carvers at Broad Street From Michael Steinitz, who is our president as well as a historic preservationist:
Those interested in a better understanding of the early New England gravestone carvers and their art as expressed in Broad Street Cemetery, a great starting point is the Gravestone/Monument Condition Assessment Report prepared by Fannin-Lehner Preservation Consultants as part of the Broad Street Cemetery Preservation Plan completed earlier this year. Section III of this report, titled “Gravestone Carvers/Monument Makers in Broad Street Cemetery”, is a valuable introduction to many of the carvers whose work has been identified in the cemetery, including some biographical information, lists and photos of stones attributed to specific carvers, and references to books and articles by scholars of gravestone art of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The entire Preservation Plan is available on the City’s Preserving Salem website: https://www.preservingsalem.com/broad-street-cemetery-preservation-plan .
Among the works cited, a 2015 book by James Blachowicz, From Slate to Marble: Gravestone Carving Traditions in Eastern Massachusetts, 1750 – 1850. Volume II is of particular interest. (A copy of From Slate to Marble, Volume II is available in the Salem Collection for in-library use at the Salem Public Library.) Part of a two-volume, encyclopedic study, Volume II comes in at 700 pages with over a thousand illustrations, and includes a flash drive with a 22,000 gravestone database! Searching this database for Broad Street Cemetery (code 383) turns up 141 stones attributed to 14 different carvers working from the mid-18th to the mid-19th century. Of these, by far the greatest number of stones – 82 – are reported to be the work of the prolific Levi Maxcy (1770-1822), followed by 28 by Benjamin Day (1783-1855), 9 by Richard Adams (1784-1845), 7 by Robert Fowle (1743-1805), and 5 by Joseph Lamson II (1728-1789). Except for Lamson, who was of a Charlestown based family of carvers, all of these individuals operated shops in Salem for at least part of their careers. Other carvers from this period reported to be represented at Broad Street include James Ford, Henry Christian Geyer, Nathan Hastings, John Homer, Andrew Lord, Cyrus Pratt, Samuel White, Jr., and William Codner – an extraordinary array of talent and carving styles! And this does not include notable work in the cemetery dating prior to 1750 by known carvers. This is all just to say that the significance of Broad Street Cemetery as a repository for the appreciation and study of the work of these early American gravestone artists is one of its outstanding qualities, and the restoration, preservation and better understanding of these important works of art is one of its greatest needs.
* Nature Notes on the Grounds of the Cemetery by Sarah Staats, who is our treasurer -
The distinction between weeds and acceptable plants has become blurry in recent decades. The humble plantain, growing along railroad tracks and in suburban lawns has maintained its lowly status, while white clover is now welcomed in lawns. Both plants are plentiful in Broad Street Cemetery, as is the oft-maligned burdock. To my surprise, the Friends board decided to maintain a large patch of the tall, invasive, bur-laden burdock plant at the southeast corner of Summer Street—on the basis of looks and that burdock is pollinator-friendly.
While the Friends keep up a small, experimental garden of pollinator-friendly plants at the top of the hill of the cemetery’s southwest corner along the wall-fence, they also appreciate “volunteer” dandelions and buttercups—reliably attractive to bees—that appear as signs of spring and continue throughout the summer and beyond. Of course, the mix of weeds in the cemetery evolves with the seasons. At the moment four generally unwelcome weeds are very much in evidence. Two of them like the sun and display yellow flowers: mouse-eared hawkweed and yellow wood sorrel. Both weeds were equally plentiful last year. On the other hand, mugwort, and to a lesser extent, ragweed, have noticeably increased their presence of late. Unfortunately both trigger hay fever. For spreading, however, the ubiquitous Oriental bittersweet remains the champion. Pictured clockwise below from upper left, hawkweed, oriental bittersweet, yellow wood sorrel, and mugwort:
Sarah also noted this month, "In case you happen to be interested in cicadas, as I am, you can probably still see a couple of what I grew up calling “locust shells'' left behind on a tree identified by the app Picture This as a European plum tree, but which is probably a crab apple tree. It's not far from the pet cemetery. I’ve looked for them on other apple trees in past summers but never before spotted any in the cemetery— despite hearing their noises above my head."
Please note: If anyone is interested in working on developing our pollinator garden with Sarah, this public post by Charlie Lipson inventories the beautiful pollinator plants that have been introduced at the Greenlawn cemetery Pollinator garden and is a good introduction to pollinator-friendly plants that seem to thrive in Salem:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10219650179264455&set=pcb.4756936877664409
* Another story about a resident of our cemetery from Carolyn Ross, our secretary:
Continuing the series of notes about the important Salem residents buried in Broad Street Cemetery, as featured on our entrance sign, we will highlight Jonathan Haraden 1744-1803. Haraden was a famous Revolutionary War naval hero. The "Find a Grave" website offers a photo and biography by a resident of Gallows Hill who notes that Haraden "was the most successful and audacious of the dread Salem Privateers, privately owned vessels commissioned by the infant American government to attack and capture British shipping." He describes how Haraden would often trick the enemy into surrender. Another account of some of his many adventures can be found here: https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/jonathan-haraden-privateer-who-captured-everything-he-came-alongside/
* And to close, Broadstreet Cemetery in the Autumn - Some Autumn Thoughts from Kenneth Glover, who is both our Vice President and a respected local tour guide:
"Broadstreet Cemetery, an oak framed pasture, edged with old England’s burdock rises and strolls comfortably with a passing guest or two on a spring day. Where storied stones of Salem’s ancients interpose, tucked away beyond rows of handsome homes on lightly trafficked Summer days. The hallowing that brings to Salem’s downtown the Autumn millions provides festive distractions and witchy interactions before Salem’s lot will to this graveyard flock.
Our little picturesque colonial cemetery with its centuries old head and foot-stones and the table portion of the cemetery with its 34 tombs invite admirers from both the neighborhood and afar. Each is drawn by something that the place offers them. For a few local families in the year of the shutdown and isolation it was often the outside air with a blanket for a child and her friend. A much needed moment to socialize without the fear of stale air. A service dog on a stroll or a loner seeking privacy taking a drag on a cigarette contemplating life amidst the dead. I even remember a slight girl in gothic attire thoughtfully writing in her journal, her back gently resting against a gravestone. I particularly recalled how very pleasant she was in accommodating my request to not lean upon the stone.
I am thankful that most Autumn revelers will spend this year strolling the attractions in downtown Salem or perhaps taking a photo in front of the Ropes Mansion and the Witch House before turning back or perhaps intrepidly going on to explore Gallows Hill. However for those fall visitors drawn by Salem’s October mystique who make their way over to Broadstreet, I hope that they will walk deliberately among the individual stories and find named, the relicts of sea captains, philanthropists, children, soldiers and even Generals. Surely they will admire all of the willows swept urns, winged hollowed eyed skulls and round faced cherubs. I hope that they look long enough to find a date on a gravestone that means something to them or that the visit reminds them of a loved one of their own. Although I am ever wary of how some visitors have sometimes handled our historical infrastructure cavalierly and rudely I believe also, that there are so many better people keeping watch.
I’d like to assure the Halloween minded visitor that if they come to our beautiful historic graveyard and truly love it as we do that they may in-fact discover the ghosts of old Salem whispering a heartfelt welcome in the breeze through the rustle of fall leaves. "
As always, thank you to everyone for your interest in Broad Street Cemetery. Please keep Covid safety precautions in mind, such as social distancing and wearing a mask if closer than six feet from others while enjoying your time in the cemetery. Feel free to share photos and observations you make at the cemetery on our page or through this email address. This newsletter will continue until we can have public meetings again. If you do not wish to receive email updates from FOBS, please respond to this email and you will be removed from the mailing list.
President: Michael Steinitz
Vice President: Kenneth Glover
Treasurer: Sarah Staats
Secretary: Carolyn Ross
