Hannibal Hamlin

The "What If" Vice President

Mount Hope Cemetery

Bangor, Maine

 

 

As you explore cemeteries be aware that some of the most interesting finds may be right under your nose. That was the case with me on the day I stopped to visit the final resting place of Hannibal Hamlin. What I discovered was one of the most interesting stories of what might have happened had the situation been different. Considering the political fervor currently sweeping our nation with upcoming presidential elections this story is especially interesting.

 

It is true that most people have never heard of Hannibal Hamlin. Like most Vice Presidents in American history time has seemed to even erase his name from our memories. Hamlin who hailed from the Bangor area and practiced law in a small office in Hampden rose to some prominence with the establishment of the new Republican party. He became one of the leading voices in the fledgling party in a state itching for the ideals of a party that opposed slavery. Hamlin was himself an outspoken abolitionist. As the Republican party chose Abraham Lincoln for president, Hamlin became a obvious choice for a running mate. Due to the politics of the time, He never even met Lincoln until after the election and the two men had little dealings during Lincoln's first four years of office. Hamlin instead worked hard as the leader of the Senate.

 

History was about to take an interesting turn. As Lincoln ran for re-election he chose Andrew Johnson as his new running mate, dismissing Hamlin. Many believe this move by Lincoln was purely political. Johnson was the current provincial governor of Tennessee and Lincoln was hoping to increase his support base in what was believed to be a difficult election. Lincoln could not have know that before his term was up he would be assassinated and Johnson would become President by default. History will forever associate Johnson with one word "reconstruction." Following the war, Johnson followed a much harsher plan for reconstruction in the south, much different from the one Lincoln was developing. Many consider the results of Johnson's plans to be disastrous.

 

What if Lincoln had chosen to stay with Hamlin? It is safe to say that history would have played out very differently. Of course we can only speculate, but it seems more likely that Hamlin would have followed a gentler reconstruction plan, perhaps one closer to Lincoln's own plan. We can only wonder the social affect this might have had on a nation that was literally torn apart.

If you are interested in visiting the gravesite of this forgotten Vice President it can be found at the Mt. Hope Cemetery located on the border of Bangor and Veazie. Mt. Hope is actually a beautiful and well cared for cemetery with an interesting history of it's own, but that is a story for another time. Let me just say that you will enjoy your visit to this tranquil, unique and well cared for cemetery.



 

Remember the Alamo???

What Happened to the Brave Defenders of the Alamo?

Where Are They Buried?

San Antonio, Texas

 

Recently I returned from a trip to San Antonio, Texas. I went there to attend a training event, but as you can imagine, I made sure not to miss out on doing some historical exploration. Having always been fascinated by the Alamo, it was first on my list, but I will say that anyone visiting should do the whole Mission Tour. It turns out the Alamo is only one of five missions set up by the Spanish along the San Antonio river. The other four still act as functional churches to this day and are themselves much better preserved and well worth a visit.

 

 

Most people are at least somewhat familiar with the history of the Alamo. The stone facade of the church itself has become a well known landmark. In case you aren't familiar with the history here are the down and dirty facts. In February of 1836, the Alamo became the focal point for Texans who were then fighting for their independence from Mexico. The Alamo itself was nothing more than a mission compound which had never been fully completed and had at past times acted as a garrison for the Mexican army. Therefore, it was supplied with several cannons. A force of about 200 men under William Travis and Jim Bowie stationed themselves in the Alamo. While there a Mexican army under General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna besieged the Alamo with an army numbering in the thousands. The hodge podge group of freedom fighters in the Alamo, including the famous Davy Crockett decided to stay and fight. The siege lasted for 13 days and during the final assault the Mexican army was repelled several times, but eventually overwhelmed the men in the Alamo. Following General Santa Anna's orders, no prisoners were taken and all the Alamo defenders were either killed in battle or executed. The only survivors were a few women and children who were spared.

 

 

So what happened to the 200 men who fought so valiantly? Well, they were heaped into piles and ordered to be burned. What was left after this mass burning and what happened to the ashes and remains is where the story takes an interesting turn. It is interesting because many are in disagreement. I decided to do some basic research to try and find the final resting place of these remains and it took me to two different locations in the city of San Antonio.

 

 

When the forces of the Texas army once again took San Antonio they were under the command of Lt. Colonel Juan Seguin. One report from the time period describes his discovery of the ashes and the subsequent funeral that followed. In this account the ashes were placed in an ornate coffin and after the funeral were buried in an unmarked grave near where they had been found. It would seem in this story that the final resting place of the Alamo defenders would have been lost forever.

 

 

The second story involves the San Fernando cathedral. This cathedral which is one of the oldest in the nation and existed at the time of the Alamo sits less than a mile away. It was here in 1936 while renovating the church that ashes were found near the front of the church. It was automatically assumed that these ashes belonged to the defenders of the Alamo. In fact the archbishop at the time boldly asserted that they were indeed the ashes. An attempt was made to find historical evidence to corroborate this claim, and with some minor success. However, many historians believe there is insufficient evidence to prove this claim. Nonetheless, the ashes were proudly placed in a marble coffin which sits in a side chapel of the church and can be seen by visitors today. A plaque outside declares that the church is the final resting place of the Alamo defenders.

 

 

I was not entirely satisfied with this, so I decided to dig a bit deeper. That took me to my second destination: a cemetery on the outskirts of San Antonio. The cemetery located on Powder House Hill is known to most as the Oddfellows Cemetery. Only recently has this place been cited as the possible final resting place for the Alamo defenders. The plaque which you can read for yourself in the picture below states that August Beisenbach who later became the secretary of San Antonio observed as a child some kind of remains being dug up near the Alamo. he records that the remains were then moved to this cemetery and placed in an unmarked plot between two stones whose names he records.  Interestingly his story lines up somewhat with that of the recorded funeral, but there are still discrepancies and things that don't line up.

 

If you visit the Oddfellows Cemetery or the Cathedral today you can certainly imagine yourself as being in the presence of all that mortally remains of those brave men. However, the sad truth is that we can never be sure. Perhaps the ashes or remains washed away or lie hidden, never discovered beneath the streets of San Antonio. 

Early Physicians and the Mentally Ill

Cony Cemetery

Augusta, Maine

 

With cemeteries sometimes it is not always about what you see, but also what you don't see. Fortunately at Coney Cemetery in Augusts, Maine you can have some of both. Here in this relatively small cemetery you can see many wonderful examples of older stones and their art, receive a little history lesson, and use your imagination about who might be buried there that you can't see.

 

 

Cony Cemetery is named after the Cony family, a prominent early Augusta family, many of who are buried here. As you walk through Cony Cemetery you will note the re-occurring Cony name as well as other family names. Many of these stones date from the 1700's and sport interesting death heads and cherubs. Hardly any two of these artistic creations are the same. it is certainly worth your time to wander through and view these different artistic examples. 

 

 

One resident of Cony Cemetery that is of particular interest is Daniel Cony. A newer large stone lists his name along with other members of his family. Daniel Cony was born in Massachusetts, but later moved to Augusta as an adult. He could be described as nothing but professional and a true renaissance man. He studied medicine and was a respected physician of his day. When the Revolutionary War broke out Cony served as an adjutant of an infantry regiment and participated in the American victory at the battle of Saratoga. After the war, Cony became a prominent figure in government. He served as Judge Probate, was a member of the electoral college that elected George Washington fro his second term, and when Maine became a state was a member of the Maine Constitutional Convention. Perhaps more interesting is his example as a leader of education. Cony had five daughters and no sons. Worried about their education he founded the Augusta School for girls. Having lived to the ripe old age of 90, he passed away and is now buried in the cemetery that bears his name.

So what can you not see in Cony Cemetery? As you stare across the street you will see what is now know as Riverview Psychiatric. This is a facility that treats those dealing with mental illness, but what some people may not known is that a similar facility has existed on the grounds since about 1840. Known as the Augusta Mental Health Institute, the hospital is said to have been built just across the river from the Capital building so it would never be forgotten. Most people are aware that care for mental illness has changed significantly. Some of the procedures and conditions of these facilities in the past was down right scary.  Many of these facilities became the home of those who society would rather forget. So what happens when the forgotten die. Well, they are buried with little ceremony or remembrance. Such was the case for the Augusta Mental Health Institute as well. In fact there is some question about where these patients may have been buried. We know that at least a handful are buried in Cony Cemetery likely in graves once simply marked with wooden markers or none at all. It is worth mentioning here that many people believe a small cemetery exited on the property of the hospital, but this has never been proven or confirmed. How many forgotten dead rest here in Cony Cemetery we can only speculate.

As I made a quick stop to see this cemetery I was fascinated that such a small place could have such an interesting story. If you are interested in discovering this cemetery for yourself you will find it on Hospital Street in Augusta. 

Around the World in a College Cemetery

Hampton University Cemetery

Hampton, Virginia

 

 

 

The world is an interesting place. However, even more interesting are the people who inhabit this world. There are a vast array of cultures, races, and nationalities. Each is unique and special in its own way. Sadly most of us will only experience a select number of these places, cultures, and peoples  during our short lives. We may read about them or watch shows about them, but for many of us even this is limited. Up until the other day, I would not have considered a cemetery to be a place of cultural diversity. It just goes to show that you never know what you will find when your feet dare to enter the sacred spaces of the deceased. As I entered Hampton University Cemetery, I took a trip around the world and found myself immersed in cultures different from my own.

 

 

It is easy to overlook the small cemetery attached to Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. As far as cemeteries go it is relatively small  and sits just down the road from the very large VA Cemetery. In fact I will admit that as I immersed myself in the rows and rows of Civil War dead buried in its goliath neighbor, I never even knew this little gem was waiting down the road. I was clued into this fact by a co-worker who shared my love of cemetery exploration and had beat me to the discovery. I greatly appreciated his recommendation and set out to see what was so interesting about this little plot of land. You see the truth is that this cemetery is a diversity lovers dream. Stones faithfully share the heritages and nationalities of may buried here and many are distinctly unique.

 

 

 

I suppose this is to be expected from a college like Hampton University which from its own founding has greatly encouraged diversity. The school's founder Brigadier General Samuel Chapman Armstrong can be found resting in the cemetery between two interesting roughly cut stones. The headstone is a large piece of volcanic rock from his birthplace of Hawaii where his parents had been missionaries. The stone at his feet is from Massachusetts where he is reported to have received his education. His desire in founding what is now Hampton University was to see that newly freed slaves where educated and given the tools they would need to survive in the post war, economically destroyed south. It was here that Booker T. Washington both studied and taught before moving on to Tuskegee University.

Another interesting chapter in both the university and this cemetery was that of the Native Americans who also came to study here. Following the end of the Indian Wars, braves from several of the Plains Nations were taken to Florida and imprisoned there to be used as leverage should the subdued tribes revolt. It was while they were imprisoned, that many felt the need for education. In future years, Hampton University invited many of their children as well as other Native Americans to come and study at the school. Unfortunately many succumbed to sicknesses likely brought on by a much different climate than they were accustomed to. In this cemetery are several rows of these young Native Americans. Their small stones of white marble look strikingly similar to the mass produced military stones and each proudly bears the name of their native tribe. It is quite a sight to behold and seems so out place in this coastal Virginia town.

 

 

 

The diverse nature of this cemetery does not end here though. As you peruse its small number of stones you will find former students and faculty from Zululand, South Africa; Tavoy, Burma; Nassau, Bahama Islands; and Gienfueges, Cuba. Some other interesting highlights include the stone of one young man who's epitaph reads, "A short but complete life." A former music teacher is also present whose stone bears this interesting poem,

 

A bell is not a bell

Until you ring it

A song is not a song

Until you sing it

A love is not a love

Until you share it

 

 

Should you desire to embark on this interesting trip around the world and immerse yourself in diversity simply find where the Shore Road meets the Orchard Road. The Cemetery is contained in this small block like area. Just proceed a short distance down Shore Road past the backside of the large VA cemetery

 



 

Hilltop Cemetry

Orland, Maine

 

Visitors to the state of Maine will find that the state in general is a quiet and peaceful place. Long meandering roads will lead you through sleepy villages and towns. Yet few people realize that Maine is a place of great history. Sometimes that history is local and other times it is of national significance. On a fall day, I set out to explore a peaceful little cemetery which I had often passed. Locals know it well, but to your average tourist, it is hidden away. The town of Orland, Maine sits off the beaten path, although most visitors heading to the tourist town of bar Harbor pass very near to it, and even through a small portion of it.  It is located in midcoast Maine and can be found just north of Bucksport. I have always know it to be a small community, with no great industries and several small farms.

 

 

The Hilltop Cemetery is located on the Castine Road. As you turn off of Route 1 onto the Castine Road, you enter the center of Orland. However, if you blink you could very well miss it. A short ways out of town on the right sits a quiet little cemetery surrounded by white fence. I have often passed by on my way to Castine and thought about exploring this little cemetery. It was almost as if the traditional white farm fence was beckoning me to enter. So on a rainy fall day I finally did. What I found was certainly interesting. The cemetery is the resting place of many of the towns founding families. Although little is known about many of them, this little cemetery also boasts of some wonderful examples of tombstone art. Orland, was settled in the 1700's a short time after Bucksport, so there are still several stones whose designs and dates date back to that era. As I have stated in posts before, this is not so common in this part of Maine. Most older cemeteries in Maine contain the white and granite stones so commonly associated with the 1800's. So any cemetery that offers up these gems here is refreshing.

 

The cemetery contains a few people/ families of interest. Several members of the Hancock family are buried here and from what I have been able to ascertain are relatives of the famous John Hancock, the well known signer of the Declaration of Independence. The other person of interest is a man by the name of Samuel Keyes. He was a Captain during the Revolutionary War and was in charge of a Company of Maine militia. I was able to find out very little about Keyes, except that he served under Colonel Jonathan Buck. If one remebers Buck is the namesake of the town of Bucksport, and whose memorial has created many legends. You can see my post on the Buck Cemetery for more details about this. With this in mind, it is very likely that Keyes, like Buck, played a role in the fatal Penobscot Expedition. He is also know as one of the founders of Orland and one record indicated he built the first ship in the area.

 

 

One final thing is worth noting. Near the back center of the cemetery sits the largest monument in the place. Most of the stones sit low to the ground and take the form of the traditional gravestone. However, this monumnet takes an obelisk form and seemingly towers over the rest. The thing that makes it interesting is that it is completely blank. What is or was the purpose of this monument is a mystery to me. Perhaps some reader of this blog would care to enlighten, should they know more. At first I thought maybe the inscription had simply worn away, but the facade of ths tone seem sto have never been touched. It is almost as though it was placed there to memorialize someone and never completed.

 

 

 

Should you desire to explore this little cemetery, you will not be dissapointed. I praticularly reccomend the fall for this. There are a few large trees in the cemetery and in the fall the leaves turn a very beautiful yellow. To get there follow Rt. 1 through Bucksport and turn right onto the Castine Road. You will find the cemetery on your right about two miles down the road. 

 

Enemies in Life, Partners in Death

William Burrows, Samuel Blyth, and Kervin Waters

Eastern Cemetery - Portland, Maine

 

 

As winter is quickly setting in here in Maine, my days of cemetery exploration will be forced into a hibernation of there own. Still, I have stored up some posts for the winter months for any interested readers. Yet, this past weekend while returning from a trip to New Hampshire, I stole a little time to visit a cemetery that has been on my mind for some time now in what may well be my last exploration until Spring.  Eastern Cemetery in Portland, Maine is certainly in the running for the most interesting cemetery in the state, but today, my mission was not simply to explore (although I did a little of that). I had set out to see for myself three stones associated with one of the most interesting burials in Maine history and I would even say the history of the United States. Side by side in three almost identical graves lie the bodies of William Burrows, Samuel Blyth, and Kervin Waters.

 

 

What did these three men have in common? Burrows and Blythe would cross paths and meet their fate on the same day, September 5, 1813 off the coast of Portland, Maine. Blythe was the commander of the HMS Boxer, a Royal Navy brig and Burrows was the commander of the USS Enterprise a US Navy brig. In the midst of the fighting now known as the War of 1812 these two ships encountered each other in battle. They were pretty evenly matched in size and number of guns. However, the USS Enterprise had a slight advantage mostly due to a larger number of crew members. Both Captains nailed their flags to the mast and entered into a fight for the finish. However, both men were to meet their fates very quickly. Blythe was killed by the first cannon volley from the Enterprise and Burrows was killed shortly after from small arms fire from the Boxer. However, in the end it would be the Americans that would take the day, capturing the HMS Boxer. The third man of the three was a young officer from the Enterprise by the name of Kervin Waters. He was mortally wounded during the battle and died a few days after.

 

 

 

Following the battle the two dead Captains and the wounded Kervin were taken to the nearby harbor town of Portland, Maine. Here all three men were ceremoniously buried in Eastern Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Portland, Maine. The famous poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, also a native of Portland mentions the event in his famous poem "My Lost Youth".

 

 

I remember the sea fight far away,

How it thundered o'er the tide!

And the dead captains, as they lay

In their grave, o'er looking the tranquil bay,

Where they in battle died.

 

 

What makes this so intriguing is not simply the history itself, but the idea that these two men are buried side by side. A short time before, they had been unwaveringly set on the other's defeat and destruction, but in death they found themselves being laid to rest as neighbors and morbid partners. What a fascinating picture and thing it is to consider. The applications and morals are seemingly endless. It is not as common as you might think to find enemies so joined in death and buried next to each other. The story here is so rare, I doubt that you will find another one like it, and I count myself privileged that I had the opportunity to visit the graves of these three men and witness the image for myself.

 

 

Captain Burrows' stone

 

 

Captain Blyth's stone

 

 

 

Kervin Water's stone

 

 

It is likely in the future, that I will write more about Eastern Cemetery. It is in its own right a fascinating place. I also plan to return at some point and explore further. Should you desire to visit and witness this for yourself, you will find the cemetery entrance along Mountfort Street in Portland's historic harbor area. The cemetery is surrounded almost entirely with an iron fence, but the main gate is supposed to be opened Monday - Saturday. If you should find yourself there on a Sunday there is a possibility that you may be able to slip through some areas where there is a chain link fence. Not that I would know for sure (nervous laugh). However, you enter at your own risk, so please be careful. There is also clear signage that the persons are not allowed in the cemetery after sundown. All that said, I recommend making a day trip and not on Sunday. As always please be respectful. Many of the stones are in bad disrepair, and it would be a shame to see any further damage come to this beautiful, historic cemetery at human hands. 





More to Buck Cemetery Than the Legend?

Buck Cemetery

Bucksport, Maine

 

Since I was a child, I have heard the legend of Jonathan Buck. As a child I attended school in Bucksport and often passed by the stone that is supposed to be cursed. I will share the legend briefly here for those unfamiliar with it. However, the purpose of this post is to rather explore Buck Cemetery in Bucksport, ME. While most know the stone and the legend, most also ignore the rest of the cemetery. The untold truth of Buck Cemetery is that is a fascinating place full of much more than legends. I recently set out on a rainy day to explore cemeteries and had a little adventure of my own exploring this one.

 

 

Jonathan Buck is often given credit for the founding of Bucksport. In 1762 it was Jonathan Buck who explored the area and in 1764 it was also Buck who began settling and building what is now known as Bucksport. The truth about Jonathan Buck is that he was both a pioneer and a war hero. Buck took part in the disaster that was the Castine Expedition. There can be little doubt that he was both a brave man and a hard man. After the defeat at Castine he took his family to safety in Brewer, and suffering from gout walked from Bucksport to Haverhill, Massachusetts. After the war Buck returned to the town he had founded and rebuilt it, as the British had destroyed it. He became a prominent leader in the town and died in 1795 at the age of 77. In fact his real tombstone reads, "He was a worthy citizen." Most people who stop to see his monument fail to realize that it is not his real grave stone. In fact the stone now known as the Buck Monument was erected by his descendents some years later.

 

 

 

It is here that the legends began. The legends surrounding Jonathan Buck have to do with a strange shape that has appeared on the monument erected by his descendents. The shape on the stone takes the form of a leg and foot. While the details of the legend have varied in different tellings, the main characters are Jonathan Buck and an unnamed woman. Interestingly enough the earliest recorded legend dates back to 1899. Still we should note this was over one hundred years after he died. In some stories the woman is mistress and in others she is just a local woman. She is accused and convicted of witchcraft by Buck and finally executed. In most of the legends she curses Buck and tells him that a sign will appear so that all will know he had wrongly accused her. Supposedly the form of the leg and foot on the monument is the fulfillment of her curse. The form appeared after the stone was placed, and it is said that several attempts have been made to remove it, but it always returns. Those skilled in the area of geology have attributed it to a permanent deformity in the stone, possibly caused by an iron vein.

 

 

Most have concluded that there is little truth to the legends surrounding Jonathan Buck. Perhaps the saddest part of all of this is the fact that a cemetery full of many interesting things of historical significance has been overlooked. Realizing this I set out in hopes of exploring this wonderful cemetery. Unfortunately this is not as easy as it probably should be. Surrounding the cemetery is an iron fence erected to keep people out. This is likely for fear that they will mess with the Buck monument. A path takes you close to the monument with the iron fence still separating you. What if your main purpose is not to see the monument? Most of the oldest stones cannot be viewed easily from the fence line. The original stones of Jonathan Buck and his wife cannot be viewed at all as the front of the stones faces away from the fence. Fortunately for me the iron fence did not extend around the entire cemetery. The back part of the cemetery uses a much lower chain link fence. In one place it was in such disrepair I could step right over it, which I did not hesitate doing.

What I found was very interesting. Although the cemetery is small it boasts a few persons of great interest and some beautiful stones. Perhaps most interesting are the original stones of Jonathan Buck and his wife. They are slate and bear the image of the winged angelic face. Buck's stone not only bears the statement about him being a worthy citizen, but also cites that he is the founder of Buckstown. This is out of character for burial markers of that time as they seldom include biographical information. This makes it a very unique specimen in it's own right. His wife's stone is also interesting as it simple calls her a "comfort" of Jonathan Buck. The reasons for the use of this term instead of saying she was his wife is both intriguing and unclear.

If you dare to "jump" the fence you will be greeted by the stones of many interesting people. Most are members of the Buck family, but several are not. One stone lists the names of multiple young men who seem to have died during the War of 1812. Buck is also not the only founder and Revolutionary War hero memorialized here. In the back corner of the cemetery is the stone of Jonathan Frye. It bears traditional Masonic symbols and informs readers that Frye served as a Lieutenant in the Continental Army and was one of the founders of Bucksport. It also notes that Frye drowned in the Penobscot River at the age of 51. I was not able to find further details surrounding his death. I was also interested to find out that he is not buried there. According to what I have read Frye is buried in a small family cemetery also located in Bucksport (something I plan to explore in the future). At the bottom of the stone it says it was erected by relatives. One cannot help but wonder about the origins of this memorial. Could it be that Frye's family, jealous of him being overshadowed by Buck erected the stone? We can only wonder. Yet it does seem ironic that no legend exists about Frye who died tragically and a legend does exist about Buck who died in his old age.

Should you choose to explore the Buck Cemetery, do so at your own risk and with caution. While I am not aware of specific rules concerning entrance, it is obvious the fence was meant to keep people out. Still should you enter I believe it will be worth your while, and you will discover that much more than a legend rests here. As you cross the bridge into Bucksport, turn right. The cemetery will be a short distance down on your left across from the Hannaford.