Cedar Hill Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut
is located at 453 Fairfield Avenue. It was designed by landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann
(1829–1893) who also designed Hartford's Bushnell Park
. Its first sections were completed in 1866 and the first burial took place on July 17, 1866. Cedar Hill was designed as an American rural cemetery
in the tradition of Mount Auburn Cemetery
in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The cemetery straddles three towns. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1997, in Hartford, Newington
and Wethersfield
. It includes the Cedar Hill Cemetery Gateway and Chapel, also known as Northam Memorial Chapel and Gallup Memorial Gateway, which is separately listed on the NRHP.
Cedar Hill Cemetery encompasses 270 acres (1.1 km²) and includes several historic buildings, including the Northam Memorial Chapel (built 1882), which was designed by Hartford architect George W. Keller, and the Superintendent's Cottage (built 1875), which continues to be occupied by Cedar Hill's Superintendent to this day.
Open from dawn til dusk 365 days a year, Cedar Hill Cemetery welcomes visitors to walk the grounds and partake in the expansive art, history and natural resources this park-like space has to offer.
Another example of an unusual grave is that of Cynthia Talcott, age two, which features her likeness in stone.
John Pierpont Morgan's family monument was designed by architect George W. Keller
. Made of red Scottish granite, the monument was designed to portray Morgan's vision of the Ark of the Covenant
. http://www.courant.com/entertainment/attractions/hc-citytrek0706.artjul06,0,6197559.story
The Porter-Valentine mausoleum features a stained-glass window created by Louis Comfort Tiffany
.
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
is located at 453 Fairfield Avenue. It was designed by landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann
Jacob Weidenmann
Jacob Weidenmann was a noted American landscape architect.Weidenmann was born in Winterthur, Switzerland, and educated at the Akadomie der Bildenden Kunste, where he studied art, architecture, and engineering. After graduating, he worked in Munich, Paris, London, New York City, Panama, and Peru,...
(1829–1893) who also designed Hartford's Bushnell Park
Bushnell Park
Bushnell Park in Hartford, Connecticut is the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. It was conceived by the Reverend Horace Bushnell in the mid-1850s at a time when the need for open public spaces was just starting to be recognized....
. Its first sections were completed in 1866 and the first burial took place on July 17, 1866. Cedar Hill was designed as an American rural cemetery
Rural cemetery
The rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of burial ground that uses landscaping in a park-like setting.As early as 1711 the architect Sir Christopher Wren had advocated the creation of burial grounds on the outskirts of town, "inclosed with a strong Brick Wall, and having a walk round, and...
in the tradition of Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The cemetery straddles three towns. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1997, in Hartford, Newington
Newington, Connecticut
Newington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, it had a total population of 29,306. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has its headquarters in Newington....
and Wethersfield
Wethersfield, Connecticut
Wethersfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Many records from colonial times spell the name Weathersfield, while Native Americans called it Pyquag...
. It includes the Cedar Hill Cemetery Gateway and Chapel, also known as Northam Memorial Chapel and Gallup Memorial Gateway, which is separately listed on the NRHP.
Cedar Hill Cemetery encompasses 270 acres (1.1 km²) and includes several historic buildings, including the Northam Memorial Chapel (built 1882), which was designed by Hartford architect George W. Keller, and the Superintendent's Cottage (built 1875), which continues to be occupied by Cedar Hill's Superintendent to this day.
Open from dawn til dusk 365 days a year, Cedar Hill Cemetery welcomes visitors to walk the grounds and partake in the expansive art, history and natural resources this park-like space has to offer.
Notable monuments
Cedar Hill has many unique monuments. One of the most recognizable is the 16 feet (4.9 m) tall pink-granite pyramid, and life-sized angel statue, erected in memory of Mark Howard and his wife, Angeline Lee Howard. Mark Howard was tax collector/postmaster/ of Hartford; and became president of the National Fire Insurance Company of Hartford. He was a founding pastor of the Asylum Hill Church in Hartford; and an abolitionist. Their "Asylum Hill Farm" became an artist's retreat hosting writers, thinkers of the day including Samuel Clemens, Harriett Beecher Stowe, Ambrose Bierce etc. http://www.chs.org/library/ead/htm_faids/howam1887.htmAnother example of an unusual grave is that of Cynthia Talcott, age two, which features her likeness in stone.
George W. Keller
George Keller , was an American architect and engineer. He enjoyed a diverse and successful career, and was sought for his designs of bridges, houses, monuments, and various commercial and public buildings. Keller's most famous projects, however, are the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch in...
. Made of red Scottish granite, the monument was designed to portray Morgan's vision of the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
. http://www.courant.com/entertainment/attractions/hc-citytrek0706.artjul06,0,6197559.story
The Porter-Valentine mausoleum features a stained-glass window created by Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
.
Notable burials
More than 30,000 people are buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery, including many Hartford notables such as:- Henry BarnardHenry BarnardHenry Barnard was an American educationalist and reformer.-Biography:...
, American educationalist - Morgan Gardner Bulkeley, Governor of Connecticut
- Thomas Church BrownellThomas Church BrownellThomas Church Brownell was founder of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1852 until his death....
, founder of Trinity CollegeTrinity College (Connecticut)Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has... - William ClossonWilliam ClossonWilliam Baxter Palmer Closson is an American artist born in Thetford, Vermont. As a young adult, he was educated at Thetford Academy before graduating and working as a clerk in a railroad office....
, American artist - Samuel ColtSamuel ColtSamuel Colt was an American inventor and industrialist. He was the founder of Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company , and is widely credited with popularizing the revolver. Colt's innovative contributions to the weapons industry have been described by arms historian James E...
, inventor of the Colt revolver and his wife, Elizabeth Jarvis Colt, Philanthropist - Katharine Seymour Day, artist
- Thomas Hopkins GallaudetThomas Hopkins GallaudetReverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, LL.D., was a renowned American pioneer in the education of the Deaf. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first institution for the education of the Deaf in North America, and he became its first principal...
, founder of the First American School for the Deaf - Joseph Roswell HawleyJoseph Roswell HawleyJoseph Roswell Hawley was the 42nd Governor of Connecticut, a U.S. politician in the Republican and Free Soil parties, a Civil War general, and a journalist and newspaper editor. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives and was a four-term U.S...
, Governor of Connecticut - Katharine HepburnKatharine HepburnKatharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
, Actress - Katharine Houghton HepburnKatharine Martha Houghton HepburnKatharine Martha Houghton Hepburn was an American feminist social reformer and a leader of the suffrage movement in the United States. Hepburn served as president of the Connecticut Woman's Suffrage Association before joining the National Woman's Party. Alongside Margaret Sanger, Hepburn co-founded...
, Women's Rights Activist - Edwin D. MorganEdwin D. MorganEdwin Denison Morgan was the 21st Governor of New York from 1859 to 1862 and served in the United States Senate from 1863 to 1869. He was the first and longest-serving chairman of the Republican National Committee...
(1811–1883), United States Senator. - John Pierpont Morgan, Sr., financier
- Thomas H. Seymour, Governor of Connecticut
- Virginia Thrall Smith, children's advocate
- Griffin Stedman, Civil War General
- Wallace StevensWallace StevensWallace Stevens was an American Modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as a lawyer for the Hartford insurance company in Connecticut.His best-known poems include "Anecdote of the Jar",...
, poet - Robert O. TylerRobert O. TylerRobert Ogden Tyler was an American soldier who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is best known as the commander of the Artillery Reserve of the Army of the Potomac, including at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, where many of his batteries played...
, Civil War General - Gideon WellesGideon WellesGideon Welles was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869. His buildup of the Navy to successfully execute blockades of Southern ports was a key component of Northern victory of the Civil War...
, Secretary of the Navy under Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... - Horace WellsHorace WellsHorace Wells was an American dentist who pioneered the use of anaesthesia in dentistry, specifically nitrous oxide .-Life:...
, discoverer of AnesthesiaAnesthesiaAnesthesia, or anaesthesia , traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away... - Yung WingYung WingYung Wing . Born in Zhuhai in Guangdong province, he studied in Robert Morrison's missionary schools as a boy where Tong King-sing was a classmate.-Biography:...
, first Chinese graduate of an American university at Yale
External links
- Cedar Hill Cemetery and Foundation, official website
- Cedar Hill's Distinguished Heritage, official website subpage on history
- Mapquest link, showing the cemetery