Introduction

 

I suppose everybody has hobbies or things that they enjoy. For some time now, it has been my habit to wander through cemeteries. I can spend hours if time permits, simply reading the stones and being fascinated by the stories that they hold. Although you may not realize it, you likely pass by cemeteries all the time in your car. If you are like most people, you have grown so accustomed to seeing them that you may not even notice them as you pass by. Other people find themselves weirded out by cemeteries. They fear some supernatural force will come down and scoop them up if they should even dare to venture by, let alone go in. I however, choose to view them differently. For me a cemetery is a place of wonder and excitement. When I enter a cemetery for the first time, it is like opening a new book or hearing someone tell you a story for the first time. Around every new corner I might find something fascinating, forgotten, or obscure. What do I mean by this? Well, the truth is that a cemetery is a memorial of many lives in one place. Each life has a story to tell that is unique and often fascinating in its own right. When I walk into a cemetery I am walking into a field of stories that are waiting to be told. Sometimes I just browse and see what little discovery I can make and other times I have the express purpose of seeking out a specific grave. You see, I am what they call a lover of history. I love the past and the stories it holds of men and women I would love to have met. Even as a child my world consisted of reading children's history books I borrowed from the library and day dreaming about meeting people like Joan of Arc, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin or Joshua Chamberlain. As I grew older I became fascinated with my family history and with the history of my home state of Maine. There is a certain fascination with walking where famous men and women have walked and imagining them sitting where they once sat. When I walk into a cemetery and find the grave of someone who fascinates me, I realize that I am standing on their final resting place. I understand that beneath the earth I stand on is nothing more than the bones of that person. They are no longer present in Spirit, or so that is my theological belief. None the less there is some mystery and fascination to be standing where the remains of their physical bodies rest. It is not only that, but I love to see the stones. They are so unique, just as each life is unique. Cemeteries are one of the best museums that exist and as an added bonus they do not cost anything to enter. So it is with apprehension that I have decided to enter the blog world. I enjoy writing, but have never seen myself as much of a blogger. Yet, everywhere I go I seem to meet at least a few people who share my fascination. So I suppose that there are others out there on the internet who also share in this very unique hobby. If you are someone interested in ghost stories or tales of horror, I am afraid this is not the blog for you. While stories may sometimes include this, that is not the purpose of this blog. I plan to use this as a posting place to share my discoveries with people of like minded fascination. I hope it will bring enjoyment to some and perhaps renew in others a love for history and a desire to search out stories that have been lost.