Journey to Valhalla

Yesterday (pre-tornadic activity) was another spectacularly beautiful day in New England. I needed a little artistic inspiration and the thought of walking around an indoor museum was just not all that interesting. I wanted to be outside, enjoying the dappled sunshine and smell of freshly mowed grass and fallen leaves. I also didn't want to have too drive far to get there, so the obvious choice was a visit to Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, NY.

I don't have anything against I-84 and the other big highways and byways of the northeast, but I do love the less manic local roads, too. I wasn't in a big hurry so I took a bit of an old-timey route taking Route 6 west (generally) until it met up with my old friend, the Taconic Parkway.

Route 6 tends to meander, but it winds through villages and hamlets (literally, Carmel Hamlet) along the way and there are some beautiful little architectural gems, many in need of some TLC. Mansard roof-lines or rickety widow's walks peek out of the trees and stately Colonial era homes overlook the placid waters of the region's reservoirs. Not surprisingly, signs of the times are everywhere, with shuttered businesses and for sale or for rent signs on most blocks. 

By the time I hit the Taconic, I was ready for the open road. I am a big fan of the area's parkways--The Saw Mill, the Taconic, The Sprain Brook...all of them. I'm sure I'd feel very differently if I had to commute via these busy roads every day, but for the occasional traveler, they're attractive--gentle curves and tree lined vistas--and enjoyable to drive.

Arriving at Kensico the first thing visitors see is the charming faux-Tudor manor house that is the office. They have maps that show you were the famous are interred, but the map also has a lot of excellent historical information that's good background on the who, what, and why of some of the residents. Many of those memorialized here (Bonwits and Bendels for example) are early New York captains of industry or the like, so their monuments are impressive and architecturally interesting. There are also a large number of actors, songwriters, and other creative sorts at Kensico, making it a veritable (and very creative) sculpture garden. Some of the larger family plots are decorated with ornamental trees and shrubbery (not unlike Mount Auburn or Forest Hills in the Boston area) that will only be more beautiful as the seasons change. The aroma of boxwood is prevalent and contributes to the feast for the senses that is Kensico.

My favorite spot is the Bell monument...it is one of the most interesting sculptural grave markers I've ever seen. Last year, after having newly discovered the Bells I did a little digging and wrote this post about them and Kensico-- read it here, The Bells of Valhalla.

Without further delay, then, some of the wonderful and unexpected markers and monuments I was inspired by on my outing. Full disclosure I scaled the saturation on the photos WAY back so they'd look very nearly black and white.

The Bell monument

The BPOE plot, Elk's Rest

Intricate Celtic cross

Doorway to the Sulka mausoleum

Wall in front of the Kroger mausoleum

The Landon mausoleum

The Rohde monument

Detail of the Rohde monument

The pool within the Storrs plot

I'll close with the inscription from the beautiful sculptural marker at the Storrs' plot, "Life is a book, a different page is turned each day. The happiness of the next, none dare say."

Cradle to Grave

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I do love a good cemetery or obituary. I like to think of obituaries as little tiny biographies, highlight reels of past accomplishments and interests. While I don't go to the obits section first like my old piano teacher, Mrs. Mackey did, every now and then I look through the printed obits in the NYT, London Times or Boston Globe. (For the record, Mrs. Mackey was the organist at church as well, so she had to know when she needed to reschedule a lesson because of a funeral gig.)

I found this recent obit in the Boston Globe to be of interest. Janice Snow lived to be nearly 100 and saw so many of the high and low points of the 20th century. She saw the world evolve in airline travel, mechanization, civil rights...the whole gamut of the last 100 years.

There are, I think, real little gems to be found in these overlooked columns of newspapers. Even if the remembrance is someone we knew slightly, often there is a surprise in the person's military experience or history...a tidbit we'd never have known if a thoughtful family member or journalist hadn't brought it to light. And as interesting as the celebrity obituaries are, I'm usually more intrigued with those regular people who have lived across the decades of the past 100 years--their experiences are almost always enlightening. Some were in dangerous and pivotal roles in our various wars, others worked tirelessly on domestic issues (read as raising a family and working hard.) There are the noted scientists, musicians and sports heroes who are largely forgotten, but renew our interest when we read over the highlights of their lives. 

And as for cemeteries, well, just call me a fan. I know, we'll all end up in one sooner or later, but the great monuments and small headstones alike fascinate me. I've had some wonderful times in the cemeteries of Paris, London, Boston and NY. I'd bet most people who are interested in architecture or sculpture are also drawn to some of the incredible works of art that can be found in cemeteries around the world. 

I made a wonderful trip to the Kensico cemetery last fall. Among the highlights there are the graves of Tommy Dorsey and Lou Gehrig...but it was some of the forgotten names, those with grand and interesting monuments that really caught my eye. Here's the blog entry...The Bells of Valhalla. 

Last winter, when I was in Montreal for all the Canadiens celebrations, we of course visited Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery. It was a cold December day and there were snowflakes floating around us...it couldn't have been a more perfect afternoon. Like some of the great American cemeteries, this French-Canadian jewel is making the most of it's spectacular views and surrounds, welcoming visitors and mourners alike. Mount Auburn and Forest Hills are great that way as well sponsoring tours, art events and nature walks. The above photo was taken that afternoon in Montreal, as were the photos below. 

                                       

There are a few small (and some tiny) cemeteries that I've driven by for a couple of years now and just have to stop at some afternoon. One is a 19th century close to the Connecticut-NY border called the Milltown Cemetery. There are a couple of very large above ground mausoleums that are quite spectacular when viewed among the other very quiet stones. Two other 18th century burial grounds are on my more traveled routes and I'm hoping to explore them in the near future, so photos are sure to follow.

The Bells of Valhalla

Joseph Campbell has a lovely quote that goes something like, "The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are." I've already set forth my little manifesto a few posts ago, but among the things I am is a lover of cemeteries--great and small. I guess it's pretty well known amongst my family and friends because when I told them I was going to Kensico Cemetery, in Valhalla, New York, on Sunday, there was nary a "why?" or "huh?" More like a virtual nod via email that I was heading off on one of my little adventures again.

I've been to (literally) hundreds of cemeteries during my life. The "gentleman of significance" in my life and I have wandered the "streets" of Pere Lachaise befriending the resident cats while we ambled; we've walked and held hands in the beautiful surrounds of Mount Auburn and Forest Hills cemeteries near Boston. I've walked many miles and spent many happy hours in London's Highgate and Brompton cemeteries (as well as some of the other "Magnificent Seven")--followed closely by eager packs of roving squirrels on both occasions, I'll have you know. (They were very interested in sharing my sandwich from Pret a Manger!) And one of my favorite parts of living here in New England has to be the small graveyards that populate the edges of so many towns. Not only churchyards, but small familial plots of 10 or 20 stones from the 17th and 18th centuries.

So you get the idea...I'm very well acquainted with cemeteries. It's not so much that I'm overly interested in the entombed stars and luminaries (though that often is the impetus for a visit) it's more about the sentiments expressed and the art and architecture of the place. I've seen some of the simplest and most elegant thoughts expressed on headstones--"be still" (all lowercase); At Rest (often seen with low-relief carvings of clasped hands). And over the years I've become an aficionado of the antique varieties of grave markers, most too unique to be labeled mere headstones. From the moving and poignant small lambs usually reserved for infants or children to the large scale mausoleums of the wealthy and well-known, it all fascinates me. As a small digression, I must say, I rather disdain of the modern style of headstone or marker when compared to those of bygone days. Contemporary headstones are rather cookie cutter when held to the standard of 19th and early 20th century granite and marble achievements. There used to be many variations of masterfully sculpted and carved sheaves of wheat, grieving goddesses, veiled urns, rough-hewn wood-look crosses and of course, the obelisk and the column. And then there are the really unique markers...a small stone kepi for a Civil War soldier, the beloved 'Stone Doggie' at Forest Hills, the Famille Raspail tomb at Pere Lachaise, and one that I saw today that is unlike any I've ever seen before--the marker for Hillary and Margaret Ireland Bell at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, NY.

I should say at the outset that if you're in the area, on a nice fall day, you could do much worse than a good stretch of the legs around Kensico. The administration office is very friendly and happy to help you find whatever/whomever you might be looking for. There's a nicely done handout that they print, as well, of all the big names--lots of entertainment sorts--that includes a very sufficient history, too.

Now on to the good stuff! It was getting on in the afternoon and I'd already hiked like a mountain goat (a well shod one, but still...) around the various plots and the only thing left that I really wanted to see was the Ziegfeld plot, which I couldn't find for anything. (I did, eventually, but it was more due to being able to identify a weeping beech tree than any map or directions!) While driving around I saw this odd elevated stone...very unusual. I grabbed the camera, turned off the Twins game and set off for a closer look.

This unconventional monument, the gravesite of Hillary Bell and his wife, Margaret Ireland Bell, isn't on the "greatest hits" part of the tour, but it's quite special. It's built, for lack of a better word, as though it's atop a pedimented roof and supported by four simple columns. Like a Grecian temple that's 3/4 covered by the debris of time. On the "roof" part is an open book, a large and simple cross, and artist's palette with flowers and what appear to be stylized palm leaves. Each of the four corners is guarded by a lion's head. Nothing very unusual, symbolically speaking. As I said though, I've never seen a monument quite like this--the empty space under the structure, the unique method of design. It was quite a nice find, I thought. Yet, I couldn't help but wonder who merited this scale of memorial--but wasn't included among the "famous" inhabitants of Kensico?

So who were the Bells?

Hillary Bell, born outside of Belfast, Ireland, was many things. An artist, dramatist, and theatre critic for The New York Press at various points. He married Margaret "Rita" Ireland at the Church of the Heavenly Rest on 5th Ave in NYC in June of 1888. According to the society page in the NYT from 7 June, 1888, it was a "very pretty church wedding" and, "the bride wore a dress of white corded silk and the traditional veil." Her sister, Florence, was her maid of honor and they held a reception at the home of the bride's parents at 44 W 47th Street, NY, NY. It appears that the couple then made their home in Manhattan--a news story from 1889 recounts Mr. Bell as being among the artists who suffered losses when there was a fire in some studios above the YMCA. And in May 1893 the couple is listed, again on the society page, as sailing for Europe on the Britannic for an "extended tour." In an odd sign of the times, their address was even listed in the announcement--52 E 23rd Street in Manhattan. (Note to burglars--they were going on an "extended" tour!) There are small mentions of Hillary's playwriting and such, but sadly, he was to die suddenly in 1903. His death, under very odd circumstances, while hiring a servant girl from the Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary--a Roman Catholic home for Irish immigrant girls--warranted a spirited write up in the New York Times from April 10, 1903. The cause was apparently apoplexy and the article does tell a good deal about his portrait painting, the play he produced in San Francisco and his marriage to "Rita" in 1888. (Try this LINK to the NYT archives from 1903 for the full piece.)

Rita, or Margaret Ireland Bell, would survive him and her name is found occasionally in the listings of ladies who attend various weddings and such. She died in 1929. They had no children.

I found a small mention, in a google-digitized magazine on granite and marble from January of 1905, that The Harrison Granite Company had "just completed the Hillary Bell monument at Kensico Cemetery. The monument, of Barre granite, is a departure from beaten styles and is much admired."

"A departure from beaten styles" seems an understatement, but I would hope it remains much admired. As a monument, it's a mix of styles, ornaments and symbols...that somehow seem together to form a cohesive piece of art. I've always felt that people are less gone from our presence and memory if we speak of them or mention their names on a daily basis. Today then, I fondly recall the artistic vision of Hillary and Margaret Ireland Bell and the monument they've left behind to inspire and intrigue us.

Winner Take All

I had an utterly perfect day today, due in part to the success of my favorite teams. And through the miracles of technology, I was fully apprised of all the games while I was out doing other things--mostly considering the architecture of the dead. Loyal Denver Bronco and NY Yankee fan (and non-Raven follower), Flyboy, texted me with the latest New England scores and the Chelsea FC scores. And the XM radio on my car supplied me with the Twins radio broadcast so I heard all the big home runs (and the tense 6th inning) for myself. With both the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox winning--and the Twins continuing their dramatic late season play, it was a full day. All tied up with the Detroit Tigers, the two teams will now play a one game play off to see who wins the division. While the circumstances are different, this one game winner-take-all playoff feels an awful lot like deja vu all over again!

I left my little sacrifice to the baseball gods at Lou Gehrig's gave today, so I'm hoping it brings the Twins a little luck. Yes he was a Yankee, but he also made several trips to Rochester, MN to visit the Mayo Clinic when they were all trying to figure out what his ailment was. I have two wonderful photos of Gehrig on my wall, one of him in front of a microphone at the old local radio station, KROC; and another where he's sitting comfortably in an old over-stuffed leather chair. In both he has a huge grin on his face and is as handsome as Gary Cooper was when he portrayed The Iron Horse. Tributes must be paid.

I made a very interesting discovery at The Kensico Cemetery, in Valhalla, NY, today. In addition to seeing the final resting spots of Lou Gehrig and Tommy Dorsey (among many other NY notables), I found something decidedly more interesting...more to come on that tomorrow as I finish up the research. See who all is interred at Kensico (www.kensico.org).

With that...I'll leave you with a little view of the trinkets (inlcuding the 1936 penny I left as a token of respect) that adorn the top of Gehrig's monument.