A cemetery is a burial ground. It may be an independent site or a part of a churchyard.
Cemeteries are normally regulated at the State level. The legislature has the power to discontinue their use or require removal of bodies interred thereon whenever it becomes necessary. It also has the power to prohibit re-use of graves.
Origins
A cemetery is an area where dead people are buried. It can be either public or private. The earliest cemeteries were churchyards, town commons, or municipal burial grounds.
Burial was originally a family obligation because of the widespread belief that ties of kinship last beyond death. Richer families commissioned the work of stonemasons to erect elaborate headstones that recorded names, dates of birth and death and other biographical data.
The term “cemetery” came into use in the 1830s with the rise of the rural cemetery movement. Previously, Americans had always buried their dead, but the practice was increasingly regarded as an unpleasant nuisance because of overcrowded churchyards and lack of space in town commons or municipal burial ground. The movement to rural cemeteries allowed for a separation of church and state and permitted the sale of plots. This facilitated the development of a national cemetery system.
Styles
The cemetery landscape changed as the Victorian era saw massive changes in views of death and the corpse. This included new places of burial outside city centers and churches. These are called park style cemeteries and often have sprawling walking paths and beautiful scenery. They also show large monuments and shift from family plots to individual graves.
Headstones – Inscriptions on the carved stone surfaces usually showed a person’s name, dates of birth and death, or a religious verse. The inscriptions were also written in Gothic font.
The headstones were slanting and placed on a base or foundation. This added stability to the monument and protected the more expensive headstone material above it from ground moisture. Decorative carvings were added to the headstones, and flowers like roses and lilies represented purity and love. Other motifs included willow trees and columns that signified strength and wisdom. The urn was a container for the cremains (ashes). It could be either decorative and on display or buried in the cemetery.
Rules and Regulations
Rule 7
All monuments, gravestones and markers must be firmly anchored on a foundation. No masonry work or grading of lots, plots, graves and blocks will be permitted without the approval of the Cemetery Superintendent.
The Cemetery reserves the right to enter upon any lot or grave, at any time and remove any object deemed by it to be offensive or improper and to detract from the general beauty of the grounds. This includes artificial flowers, trinkets, toys, balloons, stuffed animals, statues not an integral part of the monument and the like.
The re-use of a gravesite is not permitted, as the original owners may be deceased and it is often impossible to locate living family members decades after burial. This practice can result in unsightly and overgrown memorial works, a disruption to the cemetery’s care plan and the inability to maintain a clean, attractive resting place. It is therefore strongly recommended that families keep annual plantings within bounds and limit decorations to fresh flowers placed in a metal vase or flag holders no more than 30 inches above the ground surface.
Rights and Limitations
Although the idea of pouring over a contract or reading By Laws is not appealing, it is vital to understand the rights and limitations you will have when purchasing a plot. Typically there are rules that govern a cemetery’s ability to close, relocate or alter a lot. There are also regulations that dictate the size, material and design of monuments and markers, mainly for aesthetic considerations but often due to practical concerns like durability and safety.
The Cemetery has the right to remove or demolish any object that is considered by it to be offensive, improper or injurious to the appearance of the Cemetery. Also, the Cemetery has established procedural installation requirements and it reserves the right to stop any work of any nature by contractors or owners who fail to comply with these requirements.
In addition, if it is determined that a grave or crypt has not been used for Interment for twenty-five years or more, the Cemetery may consider re-use of that space. However, a reinterment will not occur until all Owners have consented to the same in writing.