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Mount Hope: A Rural Cemetery
Mount Hope cemetery opened on October 2, 1838 during the prime of the 'rural cemetery movement'. As cities began to rapidly grow throughout the United States, the small burial cites located on church land became overcrowded, and the fear that the numerous people dying of diseases posed danger to residents as these burial plots were often located in the city. "Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Boston became the prototype of the new rural cemetery"1 and Mount Hope was no doubt modeled Mount Auburn. Mayor Elisha Johnson even stated that "(Mt. Hope)...will be..highly creditable to the place, and may with propriety be regarded the Mount Auburn of the city."
Although there had been smaller cemeteries located around Rochester in the years before Mount Hope, nothing comparing to it had been constructed in the area before. The rural cemetery movement was still a reletively new idea, but it was an idea which took shape and gained supporters very quickly. Rural cemeteries were built outside of the city, leaving enough room for it to grow and were designed to be in a rural location. The landscape was an essential part of the construct, letting the natural flow of hills and foliage guide in its design. With its design, rural cemeteries were not only a place where the dead were buried, but became a leisure area where it was very common for residents to make trips to cemeteries for walks and enjoyments of the scenery.
Today Mount Hope sits on 196 acres and is home to 350,000 gravestones.2 Although it has expanded and now attracts a wide spectrum of people and their activities, Mount Hope continues to be "a source of comfort and peace to the citizens of Rochester." 3
Libbie Copeland
Libbie Copland's grave is found in Section C, Plot 135 of Mount Hope Cemetery. She was sixteen when she died on July 15, 1869 of what is noted in the official records as "consumption". Consumption was the name for what we now call Tuberculosis. German scientist Robert Koch 'presented his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis'4 on March 24, 1882. Before then they described the disease appeared to affect the body; consuming it from the inside out.
Libbie was a resident of Brighton, New York and is buried alongside what can only be assumed to be her sister, Julia. Julia died at the age of five due to typhoid fever two years before Libbie.
Libbie's Official Death Record from Mount Hope
What's in a gravemarker?
Libbie's grave has a simple headstone with an engraved Calla Lily and the word "LIBBIE". The back of her stone reads, "Died July 15, 1869" followed below by "Aged 16 Years". Although it seems to be a somewhat impersonal headstone, much is revealed through the iconography accompanying Libbie's name. The Calla Lily so prominently displayed has an entire meaning in itself.
Before becoming a typical wedding flower, Calla Lilies were very often associated with death and funerals. They were 'placed on the graves of youth who [sic] suffered untimely deaths.5 This is very much appropriate in its association with Libbie. Also, Libbie's Calla Lily is only a bud, as can be seen in its proportion to the stem holding it up. A flower in bud form is often viewed as a renewal of life 6, perhaps this is suggesting the renewal of Libbie's spiritual life as she passed on from one world to the next.
Preserving Libbie
Over time, Libbie's gravestone has been worn down and has begun to deteriorate. There does not appear to be any additional preservation done to add to the longevity of the stone. It seems to be deteriorating at a normal rate. Although at the present moment it looks to be in good standing condition, there are many factors contributing to the break down of Libbie Copeland's gravestone.
Factors to Consider:
1. Choice of Material
2. Natural Defects in Material
3. Faulty Craftsmanship
4. Physical Weathering
5. Chemical and Atmospheric Environments
6. Soluble Salts & Living Organisms
Going down the list as we inspect Libbie's gravestone we can determine the what is most effecting the deterioration and an approximate timeline to how long the marker will last.
Choice of material:
When inspecting Libbie's gravestone flecks of sediments throughout the material are easily noticeable. This factor alone offers the idea that the material of choice is limestone (calcium carbonate). At the time of Libbie's death limestone was a stone of choice because of how soft it was, allowing it to be engraved and carved much easier then some of its competitors.
Natural Defects in Material:
Limestone, because it is in its sedimentary form, is a very porous material. This can lead the material to be victim to many types of weathering. (different weathering effects discussed below)
Faulty Craftsmanship:
In Libbie's case both the foundation and the overall craftsmanship of the gravestone look to be in good condition. If there was a significant structural problem it would have surfaced already in the time that has passed since it was placed at the grave site.
Physical Weathering:
Over time acid in rainwater dissolves away limestone. This can, in turn, make the inscriptions illegible and eventually might cause the stone to break in the weaker, more eroded areas. The parts that have eroded faster will not be able to support those areas which have not.7 With Libbie's gravestone a great amount of physical weathering is not present. There is no noticeable wearing down of the inscriptions or carvings yet, but there is no doubt that this is already occurring, especially considering the winters that Rochester is accustomed to.
Chemical and Atmospheric Environments:
As discussed above, limestone absorbs water easily. In Libbie's case this has caused gypsum to form on the face of the stone. This happens when water enters the stone, due to its porosity, and then begins to evaporate from the stone, eventually making its way to the edges. As it leaves the stone it becomes congealed on its surface. Over time as pollutants crowd the air the gypsum turns black. In laymen terms this is referred to as "black crust".
Soluble Salts & Living Organisms:
There is a large amount of efflorscence occurring around the entire surface of the stone. This occurs when salt crystallizes on the surface, leaving reminisce of salt behind.
There is also a fair amount of biological matter invading the stone. Lichen is very much present, especially along the base of the stone. Lichen is an organism composed of a fungus. It has a slow rate of growth and can live off of a minimal amount of water. Since a stone is, for the most part, a stable environment, not swaying or moving, it is easy for lichen to form and multiply.
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References
1. Thomas, W. Stephen., and Ruth Rosenberg-Naparsteck. Sleepers' City: the
Sesquicentennial History of Mt. Hope Cemetery. Rochester, NY: Rochester Public Library,
1988. Print.
2. "Rochester's Hope: The University of Rochester and Mt. Hope Cemetery; Mount Hope
Cemetery." River Campus Libraries. Web. 20 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=3022>.
3. Refer to 1
4. "Tuberculosis." Nobelprize.org. Web. 02 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/tuberculosis/readmore.html>.
5. Karlsen, Kathleen. "Calla Lily Meaning & Cala Lily Flower Symbols in the Language of
Flowers." Symbol Meaning for Hundreds of Symbols & Symbol Resources. Web.
02 Oct. 2011. <http://livingartsoriginals.com/flower-calla-lily.htm>.
6. Symbolism in The Carvings on Old Gravestones
7. "A State of Decay." GravestonePreservation.info. Web. 06 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.gravestonepreservation.info/state-decay>.