Roslyn Cemeteries
Roslyn Cemeteries
Last Wednesday I showed you some of the fun and touristy things there are to see in Roslyn. When I was reading about Roslyn in Wikipedia, it mentioned the historic cemeteries. And I also had a commentor on Weds. post saying how awesome they were to see. We didn’t have time to visit when we were there the first time, so last Friday I went to check it out.
I took the dogs for a great walk that goes out from Roslyn, so I could leave them in the truck while I went to the cemetery. I drove down the road where the cemeteries are, and said to myself, I’m going to need more time for this. Most small towns, have small cemeteries. Not so here, there are 26 different cemeteries spread out over a pretty large area.
When Roslyn was a mining town, there were people from all over Europe working here. So each ethnicity had their own cemetery, plus there were several lodges that had their own as well. These old wood signs show you were you are, plus there is a small map brochure that you can pick up there that helps you see where you are.
I love to visit old cemeteries, and we have been to a few that were pretty interesting. But this topped anything I have ever seen. A lot of the headstones were from the late 1800’s, and early 1900’s. There are quite a few new markers as well. It’s quite the historical walk through time.
Like any old cemetery there were a lot of babies, and children buried. It must have been so hard back then. The mortality rate for kids was not very good.
There were about 10 markers in a row like this. I don’t know if they were children that were not named, or adults that couldn’t be identified.
Most of the old markers were like these, tall and with the info inscribed on them.
There were a few like this, with an image of the person on it.
This was the simplest, most humble marker I found. If it hadn’t been for the old plastic flowers, I would have thought it was just another rock on the ground.
These 3 graves were simple too. Just 3 rings of rocks on the ground. The farthest one away was baby sized.
This marker was interesting and took me a second to read. You can see how they started inscribing the words, ran out of room mid word, and had to continue on the next line. Several of the children’s markers had little lambs like this one. So sweet.
It was a humbling experience to see all the young children, and young adults. There were a lot of mine accidents and a lot of people were killed in them. So much tragedy for such a small town.
Al wants to go back with me so he can see it too. I took a ton of photos, and will probably take more when we go again. If you find yourself near here, and like old cemeteries, this is a must visit place.
More information can be found here http://www.roslynmuseum.com/roslyn-cemetery.html
and here http://whyroslyn.com/inside-roslyn/the-roslyn-cemetery-is-alive-with-history/
You have reminded me of a gorgeous cemetery in the Twin Cities that I must visit to photograph! There are famous grave sites there such are MARS of the Mars candy fortune, and other famous entrepreneurs of the midwest….these are gorgeous patina-covered remembrances of lives past, Mary.
it was great to wander around with you and to ponder about the people who were buried there once… it’s sometimes heartbreaking to read about the children who had to die so young :o(
I’m glad you enjoyed the wander. It is fun to think about their lives back then.
My mom used to love visiting old cemeteries, but not so much anymore. It is the perfect thing to do at Halloween time, though. It’s always amazing how many young people died back then.
Like you, I have always had a fascination for old cemeteries. There was a cemetery down the street from my parents house when my daughters were young. We used to go and sit beneath a tree and tell stories about the people buried there.
I too appreciate the journey through time and life you’ve taken us on. Thanks Mary!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I like to wander around the old cemeteries. Seeing the young children’s markers is always sad! Great series! Enjoy your day and the week ahead!
I love old cemeteries, they speak volumes and are so fascinating. It’s also interesting when you see a family plot and then find an old landmark house in town with the same family’s name on it – it’s like watching the generations’ histories in fast-forward. So many of those old tombstone inscriptions and images are so moving. Thanks so much for posting this, I was so hoping you would!
I thought about you when I was there, and when I was writing this post. You would love this place.
Thank you for the tour, Mary. It’s moving to walk through the old cemeteries.
We have some older cemeteries out this way too, when we were kids we used to go in them with trace paper and using a bit of crayon trace the tombstone inscription. I’m not really sure why. :-)
Very cool, but very sad when you see all the children.
It looks like such a peaceful place. There is something very special about old cemeteries.
The construction of the graves on the hillside is interesting as are the headstones. My son and I visited an interesting cemetery in New Orleans that I wanted to photograph but he was getting creeped out.
I thought the graves were different too. I don’t know why they are built like that. Maybe because it’s on a hill, and the ground is soft and probably soggy.
Very interesting! Mom loves old cemeteries too, she’s visited so many when doing her genealogy. There are some good ones here that give tours she is thinking about taking too. Loved the pictures and the tour! Love Dolly
Oh, I love to visit old cemeteries too. Amazing that there are so many and they’re so big! Looks like a fascinating place to visit!
What an intriguing glimpse of the history of a mining town. I agree – the babies and children are the hardest to take…