Mt. Hope Cemetery

                Today we visited Mt. Hope cemetery. While in the beginning, I was very unsure of what I could really learn architecturally from a cemetery, by the end I had a much greater appreciation for cemeteries and what they really mean to a community.

                We started our tour at the Mausoleum that sits at the entrance into the cemetery. While I have never seen a collection of above ground graves, the idea of above ground burial is very interesting. Here you can start to see stories of the many lives that have passed. Of course it is very common to see man and wife buried together, but being buried with you parents isn’t quite as common. At this Mausoleum, families have already reserved spots for husband/wife/kids to be laid to rest next to the rest of their family.

                As we started the actual tour of the cemetery, we came immediately upon a group of Jewish graves, signified by the rocks on the gravestone. Coming from a small town community, I have not seen many burial traditions other than basic flowers around the grave. This tour definitely opened my eyes to what exactly a cemetery has to offer to the community it represents. It must be able to accommodate as many requests as possible while still respecting the other religious beliefs and family traditions.

                Another major part of the cemetery is the collection of veterans who have either died in battle, or served and then died after returning home. The stories are very vivid here as you can tell from their tombstone what part of the military they served and whether or not they died in combat. While their gravestones may not be the biggest in the cemetery, their service and bravery definitely does not go unnoticed.

                Lastly as you continue to walk around, you see the big names of the community and university. Buried in line with the 50-yard line are the men who have had gigantic influences within the athletic programs of the university like Huff and Zuppke. While I don’t recognize the other names in the community, it was interesting to try and read the different stories that lay within the few words on a tombstone.

                All in all, I definitely didn’t realize the significance of cemeteries and how important they truly are to the communities they serve until I walked around and saw the many stories and traditions that families help to save and cherish through the grave sites of their loved ones.