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Development of Rural Cemetaries and Memorial Sculpture in 19th Century America |
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Contributed by AECadmin
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A study of the history behind the development of rural cemetaries in America and an examination of the memorial sculpture that arose within them is the focus of this unit, with a particular emphasis on the Mount Auburn Cemetary in Cambridge, MA. This unit is designed for eighth grade students to be used during a broader study of 19th century America.
Lesson #1: What were colonial burial grounds and why did they “die” out?
*Teacher will need to refer to the following two student handouts in order to understand this lesson. All student handouts appear at the end of this unit.
1. Student Reading #1: “In the Beginning: A Brief History of Early Roxbury and Colonial Burying Grounds” excerpted from Garden of Memories: A Guide to Historic Forest Hills by Susan Wilson
2. Student worksheet #1: The first burial grounds in Colonial America
1. Students will read a brief excerpt from Susan Wilson’s, Garden of Memories: A Guide to Historic Forest Hills about how colonial cemetaries started and how by the early1800’s their was a strong need for a new kind of cemetary in Boston due to the rise in population and as a result an increasing number of deceased.
2. As students read the excerpt about the change from colonial burial grounds to rural cemetaries, they will fill out student worksheet #1.
3. Teacher and students will briefly discuss the answers to the questions from student worksheet #1 in order to establish a working understanding in the class about what a colonial burial ground was and why a new kind of cemetary was needed in Boston.
Name________________________________ Section_______
Student Worksheet #1: What is a colonial burial ground?
1. Name two of the seven different Puritan communities that settled in eastern Massachusetts in 1630 and explain where they settled?
Community #1:___________________________________________________
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Community #2:___________________________________________________
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2. What were two of the first necessities of life for these early settlers?
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3. The Eustis (Eliot) Street Burying ground was, “austere, frugal, and grim.” Describe in your own words what this burial ground may have looked like by looking up austere, frugal and grim in the dictionary.
Description:______________________________________________________
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4. How did the early settlers view God? Provide a quote from the reading to support your answer.
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5. What was the connection between the early Puritans view of God and the type of cemetary they built for the deceased member s of their community?
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6. By the early 19th century, what was the problem with the Eustis Street Burying Ground?
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7. Where else were people burying their dead at this time and why do you think this posed a problem for 19th century Boston and its citizens?
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Lesson Plans