Two years ago today I posted this photo essay about a photography class I took in Worcester's Rural Cemetery. Then today I received two comments from a member of the Crompton family, shining more light on the Crompton crypt and its angels. I thought re-posting this essay with the comments would be a good way to welcome Fall this year, (although the fall colors are coming a little later than usual in Massachusetts.) Click on any of the photos to enlarge them.
As predicted in my previous post, I spent Friday photographing in Rural
Cemetery, Worcester (MA) as a participant in the Worcester Art Museum's
class "Exploring Photography at Rural Cemetery", taught by my friend
Mari Seder.
It was really fun, despite the rain which followed us all day, alternating between a mist and a downpour. Then we went back to the Museum where Mari reviewed and critiqued our photos. Even though we were all photographing in the same place, each of us focussed on different aspects of the cemetery. One woman, who is a civil engineer, found wonderful geometric compositions in small architectural details and shadows and corners of stones. Another concentrated on the beautiful trees and foliage, leaves and flowers. And I discovered that my obsession with the human form showed up in nearly all my photos--either with inclusion of my fellow photographers or the angels and cherubs that I found in the cemetery. (If you come to my house you'll discover I've been collecting angels for ages.)
I thought this looked like the witch's house in Hansel and Gretel but when I got up close I learned it was the mausoleum of Inventor George Crompton.
And it has quite a few cherubs, each with a different face and attitude.
This one was my favorite (below.)
We all circled this lovely (if battle-scarred) angel erected by the Gorham family.
It was really fun, despite the rain which followed us all day, alternating between a mist and a downpour. Then we went back to the Museum where Mari reviewed and critiqued our photos. Even though we were all photographing in the same place, each of us focussed on different aspects of the cemetery. One woman, who is a civil engineer, found wonderful geometric compositions in small architectural details and shadows and corners of stones. Another concentrated on the beautiful trees and foliage, leaves and flowers. And I discovered that my obsession with the human form showed up in nearly all my photos--either with inclusion of my fellow photographers or the angels and cherubs that I found in the cemetery. (If you come to my house you'll discover I've been collecting angels for ages.)
I thought this looked like the witch's house in Hansel and Gretel but when I got up close I learned it was the mausoleum of Inventor George Crompton.
This one was my favorite (below.)
We all circled this lovely (if battle-scarred) angel erected by the Gorham family.
I photographed her from all angles.
This one (below) I called a guardian angel. He is directing this departed soul toward Heaven.
But our attention turned from angels to scandal when we took shelter
from the rain in the door of the Greek-temple-like mausoleum below.
The name over the door was "Kennedy" and here's the story, as reported
in Rural Cemetery's "Guide and Walking Map" brochure-- a tale told with
delightfully antiquated euphemisms:
"Ellen 'Nellie' F. Rogers and Walter G. S. Kennedy were married at
ages 67 and 63 respectively. They then adopted Mr. Kennedy's 'chum'
Charles A. Williams, a former piano salesman who was age 45 at the time,
as their 'son'. It was the stir of Worcester society to have such an
event! We have one of the richest women in Worcester marrying a music
teacher and adopting the comrade of Mr. Kennedy's...Nellie Rogers, the
daughter of an old and wealthy Worcester family, lost her father at a
young age and was left in a peculiar situation as a result. She and her
mother could enjoy the interest only of Mr. Roger's vast estate and
only upon the death of one of them could the other inherit the fortune
of the estate.
"Nellie and Walter traveled the same social circles for nearly a
quarter of a century before their friendship ripened into greater
intimacy until one day she packed her trunks, 'took the family silver'
and moved to Sicily with Walter and Charles in tow. There she purchased
a villa on the Sorrento Bay and she and Walter married in France. On
the day old Mrs. Rogers got word of the events, she passed away and left
Nellie, Walter and Charles to inherit the fortune! Rural Cemetery has
benefitted from this fortune with the erection of the Ellen Rogers
Kennedy Memorial Chapel in 1930."
After reading this, we peered with renewed interest into the holes in the locked metal doors of the Kennedy Mausoleum.
Peering even closer, we could make out the stained glass window and the sentiments carved into the wall. On one side:
"Death is not departure but arrival
Not falling asleep but waking."
And on the other:
"It is life which is the night
And death is daybreak."
And by poking a camera through a hole to photograph the interior, we
discovered a tantalizing mystery: There were only two crypts inside the
mausoleum, leaving us wondering which of the scandalous threesome sleep
inside, and in what order?
This is just one of the many mysteries that lie beneath the marble and slate stones of Rural Cemetery in Worcester.
7 comments:
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Joan Ellen Gage said...
- Fascinating! Did you find any Gages, as my Dad is a geneology fiend? We do have relatives in New England, especially.
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October 9, 2013 at 10:00 AM
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by Joan Gage said...
- Hi Joan Ellen! There were some Gages--I know a Dr. Gage was an
important person about a century ago in Shrewsbury MA, near where we
live, but since "Gage" is not really my husband's name (the real name is
Greek and as a reporter he had to shorten it to get a by-line that
fit in one column) and because it was raining pretty hard while I was in
Rural Cemetery, I did not do a very good job of tracking down Gage
tombstones.
Joan -
October 11, 2013 at 7:08 PM
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civil war researcher said...
- I loved the pics from Rural--the Crompton Mausoleum is very beautiful. A friend of mine was a family member and is buried outside of it on the grounds. When a family member dies and is buried there they open the mausoleum so you can pay respects to those buried inside and it interesting to see the interior.
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October 13, 2013 at 4:24 AM
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over60andfabulous said...
- How wonderful to find another blogger 60+ !! I am following - your
pictures are lovely - my family has been here since 1776 & this is
such an interesting topic. Thank you for sharing.
All the best, Mimi
http://inmyprimetime.blogspot.com/ -
October 14, 2013 at 11:46 AM
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by Joan Gage said...
- Thank you to both Civil War researcher and Mimi, who's over 60 and
fabulous! It's fun to meet friends who are as fascinated by cemeteries
as I am.
Joan -
October 15, 2013 at 4:25 PM
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Marie Sultana Robinson said...
- My maiden name is Crompton. This is my family crypt. The faces of the angels are the women of my family. Yes, we used to open the crypt when we had funerals. Nearby are the Smiths which were part of the family as well. To most it's beautiful to me, it's a step into the past and family. Beautifully done pictures.
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October 7, 2015 at 12:29 PM
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Marie Sultana Robinson said...
- If you are researching the Civil War. George Crompton retooled the looms so they could manufacture the bolts of cloth to make uniforms. He was used as a model for the soldier in the Civil War monument downtown.
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October 7, 2015 at 12:31 PM
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