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RURAL CEMETERY
The rural cemetery movement emerged
in the United States during the 1830s as urban areas grappled with the public
health concerns related to overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions. These
challenges, combined with a sense of nostalgia for the quiet and beauty of the
countryside, led to the establishment of so-called garden, or rural, cemeteries
outside the cities. Mt.
Auburn Cemetery was the first such cemetery to be established (1831) in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. Through the years it has stood as a model for the
development of many cemeteries across the country.
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1903
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| As the rural movement spread, cemeteries
adopted the naturalistic winding paths, hills and wooded areas characteristic of
European romantic landscapes. Later in the century, Frederick Law Olmstead’s
urban park work also influenced cemetery planning. Cemeteries became places
where city-dwellers could set aside the hectic pace of their lives, reflect on
the beauty of nature and be inspired by the monuments and tombstones that were
proudly produced by local craftsmen and artists. |
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Early Maple Grove |
Maple Grove Grave
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| Most rural cemeteries were
created through the purchase of large tracts of land by private
citizens. Maple Grove Cemetery was established by a group of six
Brooklyn businessmen in 1875 – late in the period of rural cemetery
development. Under the leadership of
William Cogswell, they purchased approximately
80 acres of undeveloped land in Jamaica Plain and Newtown from Mary A. Webb, in
exchange for one half the proceeds from the sale of burial lots. The benefit to
the newly formed Maple Grove Cemetery Association was that it would not have to
raise funds ahead of time to purchase the land. |
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Like other rural cemeteries, it took the
Maple Grove Cemetery setting many years to develop. In its first year, a double
row of trees, alternating maples and evergreens, was planted along Hoffman
Boulevard (now Queens Boulevard) and in subsequent years, more trees were added
in various sections of the cemetery. Winding roads were built, the lake was
developed, and fences added. As early as 1879, Maple Grove Cemetery issued 300
maps to encourage public use of the property. As railroad patronage increased,
the Cemetery Association distributed railroad tickets to try to attract visitors
to the park-like cemetery.
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For additional information call us at
(718) 544-3600 or visit us.
We are located at
127-15 Kew Gardens Road
,
Kew
Gardens
,
Queens
,
New York
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