Page 44 - North Haven Magazine Issue 25 Autumn 2022

NORTH HAVEN’S by Susan A. Iverson

OLD CENTER CEMETERY

very fall, this magazine’s editor always asks me for a “spooky story,” but I just don’t know any! (If you know a spooky story about
ENorth Haven, could you share it with me, please?) Instead of reading a spooky story this fall, I suggest that you spend a few minutes
walking through North Haven’s oldest burial ground – it’s located on the Town Green, and has a “spooky vibe”, I think. When you visit
this very cool spot you will experience a trip back in time; our early history as seen through the eyes of the departed!

The land for the Old Center Cemetery, or Skull with wings – A skull with wings, or
Burying Ground, was given to the town in death’s head, often represents a spiritual vic-
1714 and hasn’t changed very much since tory over death. The skull is also a symbol
then. (The first person interred there was used to represent all that is left of the mortal
Joel Cooper, a five-year-old boy, who died man. The wings represent the soul taking
in 1723.) The headstones mark where a flight up to the heavens, or the afterlife.
person was buried and are made of various
kinds of rock. Granite and slate headstones Winged Cherub face with wings – The
are the hardest and last the longest. Head- winged cherub with wings, sometimes smil-
stones made of marble and sandstone are ing, is found on many stones in the Old
often damaged by weather and pollution. Burying Ground. The cherub shows a shift
The stones aren’t always as easy to read as in attitude toward death, with greater op-
those in the old horror movies, but if you timism about resurrection and everlasting (Interestingly, the last person to be buried in
know how to light and photograph them, life. the Old Burying Ground was Elvira Cooper,
you will be surprised at how much you can no relation to the first to be buried there.
still see on their faces. They are poignant She died in 1882.) By the 1840s cemeteries
and beautiful, and sometimes even humor- took on a more styled and park-like appear-
ous. Please don’t touch these ancient mark- ance, and their design encouraged visitors
ers or use any substances you may have read to sit and even picnic near the burial places
about “on the internet” to enhance the carv- of their departed loved ones! Perhaps that is
ing – they are truly one of a kind and can be why the older burying grounds have a scar-
easily damaged! ier, more sinister aspect – they simply acted
as repositories of the dead; they didn’t cater
In the 18th and 19th centuries headstones to the aesthetic needs of the living!
would tell the name, the date of birth and
death, and usually some information about
the family. Sometimes they tell only the
age of the person. The letter “f” is some-
times used in the place of “s” and “ye” is
used for the word “the.” “Aged” means the
age at death. There are other abbreviations
you will find carved on these stones – if
you consult ctgravestones.org you will find
a great description of how to decipher the
inscriptions. Symbols were often used on
headstones, and how these symbols were The willow tree with urn – The willow tree
fashioned can sometimes tell us who carved with urn depictions were first seen in the
the stone and where the stone carver did his period after the Revolutionary War. Our
work. Here are some examples of these sym- new country adopted many of the classical
bols from the Old Center Cemetery: Greek elements of style during the early and
mid-1800s. The symbol of the urn comes
from Greek cremation urns and the willow
tree (weeping willow) is a symbol of mourn-
ing. Sometimes the tree is pictured without If you would like to learn more about the
the urn, or vice-versa. Old Center Burying Ground, consider
buying a copy of Gloria Furnival’s On The
Rosettes, vines, fig leaves, and borders were Green – the book can be purchased at the
also used as decoration. These ornamen- North Haven Historical Society. There is
tations were quite fanciful at times and also useful information about old cemeter-
showed off the creativity of the stone carver. ies on findagrave.com and ctgravestones.
org. And don’t forget a visit – maybe on an
The Old Center Burying Ground does not evening when the moon is shrouded with
have family plots or a place to sit and relax a few clouds - to the Old Center Burying
- that tradition did not take hold in North Ground!
Haven until 1841 when the New Center
Cemetery was established on Elm Street.

44 North Haven Magazine - Autumn Issue 2022