Monday, May 27, 2019

Fourth Sunday in May-Cemetery

This Sunday morning I stayed in late in order not to tempt fate. When I awoke, the sky was gray and a bit cool. As predicted the weather brightened up mid-morning and the day (later) turned about to be very warm.

In honor of the Memorial Day holiday this weekend, I decided to explore the nearby Fairview Cemetery (with a special emphasis on the military graves). Ironically, the cemetery in West Hartford that I used to plant flags every Memorial Day weekend was also named Fairview Cemetery.

View from monument (looking north).
These are the graves of veterans not war dead.

The cemetery had placed flags on the graves of veterans. So many people have forgotten the meaning of Memorial Day and instead treat it as a Spring version of Veterans Day. However, in the Korean & Vietnam Wars section, I did see several death dates (and ages) that suggest true war dead are indeed buried here.
  
This is what it looks like from the other direction.

Close-up of the monument for the veterans graves.

I also walked around the cemetery and observed the various markers and monuments. I was surprised that I did not see any Celtic crosses. No Irish buried here I guess.

The web site reports that Fairview Cemetery has been serving the greater New Britain community for well over two hundred and fifty years. Established in 1756, Fairview is among the areas oldest and most historic burial grounds. This majestic one hundred acre city within a city, is home to over thirty-eight thousand interments, with room for thousands more.

This was the most unusual marker I saw and perhaps ever saw.
Scottish guy.

Interesting walk this morning. Lots more to explore here.

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Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
http://www.newbritainct.gov/services/recreation/fairview_cemetery.htm
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2018/05/memorial-day-2018-sort-of.html
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Written Memorial Day (observed)-Monday 27 May 2019.