A spring ride to Kenduskeag

Well, the above average temperatures have continued for another week. Instead of highs in the 40’s they’ve been in the 50’s and 60‘s, but unfortunately it looks like things are back to normal for the next week or so. The other day I took the back roads out to Kenduskeag, a small town that is most famous for the canoe race held every April. The road that crosses the bridge splits into three roads on the west side. The southern one, Kenduskeag Road, goes to Levant. About a quarter mile down this road is a small cemetery on a low hill.

I’ve enjoyed visiting cemeteries ever since I was in high school and discovered the grave of John McTammany, inventor of the player piano. The Kunduskeag cemetery is similar to many old village cemeteries in Maine. A short iron fence with small gates separates it from the road. A large civil war era cannon stands guard. Many graves date to the nineteenth century, and some are more recent. Most of the older tombstones are made of marble and slate. Marble is largely composed of the mineral calcite which is soluble in dilute acid, and they have not held up well in the New England rain. Some names and dates have literally dissolved away. Slate tombstones look much like they did when they were first put in the ground, except for the lichens that now decorate them.

The stone carver who did the slate tombstones was highly skilled, many of them are exquisite. As tombstones are locally carved today, I assume he was also from the area. Names, birthdays, loved ones and so on are dutifully recored. Some have decorative carvings, and weeping willow trees are a pattern common to many. An urn is included with the willow trees on some headstones. I can’t say that had ever noticed this pattern before.

A little searching on the internet turned up some useful information. The weeping willow tree was one of the most popular headstone images of the nineteenth century up until about 1860. A willow tree indicates the extreme mourning and sadness of those left behind. An explanation for the urn and willow ties it to Greek mythology. The urn was to hold the ashes of the dead, and the willow was the symbol of Underworld goddesses, like Persephone. Finally the willow is the symbol or unrequited love, as in the bluegrass standard “Bury Me Beneath the Willow”. I’m afraid that if any of these explanations applies to these headstones is now lost to history.
In the meantime, slow down a little, stay alert and enjoy the ride.