Walk through Rural Cemetery, New Bedford

[aneaglesangel]

Hi guys wasn't sure where to put this. I don't think I caught any anomolies, but I've heard something about this cemetery! Just wish I could remember what it was!! I read so much ghost stuff, if I don't write it down, I get them mixed up, LOL! Hope you enjoy! We had a blast, my race car driver and me!!

Welcome to Rural Cemetery, established in 1845, though many graves are older than that! You'll see many names that are famous in New Bedford. There are Rodmans, Kemptons, Crapos, Russells, many more, I was lucky enough to find Captain Blackmer's grave and family plot. I would have to have a map of the cemetery to find anyone of historic nature. I've never gone in here before and was drawn in since I remember reading something about Rural Cemetery. The only thing is, I can't remember if it was a report of activity or just covering the fact that it is historic. I'll take you along on my race car driver and my walk through yesterday afternoon.

I found this mausoleum quite interesting, dark and castlelike. There was no family name on the front and going around the back at my race car driver's request was surprised to find it was a public mausoleum. I didn't know they did that!! Note the date on the back where it names it as public.





I thought this was an odd and intricate way to be buried!!

[aneaglesangel]

Oooh how this one made me sooooo sad! Little Charlie! Someone loved this poor child, I wonder how he died?? I had to go over and touch his little stone, and when I came around the back, I saw the little butt on his statue that watches over him. I swear what drew me over to him was his mother's love and anguish over losing precious little Charlie. His little grave made me feel sad too, I had to kneel, touch his stone and feel a moment of peace for him and his mom, who I bet visited here quite often!!!









This was a huge and ornate tower standing above the cemetery. I just liked the way it looked!



And we couldn't help but laugh when we saw this one!

[aneaglesangel]

An American Revolutionary War veteran's grave.



I don't know, I think it may have been a small child or infant's grave. There is no longer a marker here, so unless there is a way I can get a map of this cemetery with the names and dates, I won't be able to find out who was buried in this little crypt.



And this one I took because it burned me up!!! SS?? What?? Secret Service?? Stupid Simpleton?? I think so, with a can of spray paint to boot!!! GRRRR!!!!!









I thought this one was cool, and it's pretty old too. If I remember right without looking at the pic again, it was 1845, Dr. Leaming, I presume, and his family, he was busy, lots of kids around his stone!



This one is beautiful, you should see it in person!! The rope has grain like real rope! It's pretty much a symbol of New Bedford and its seaside history standing in this memorial to the past!



I loved this angel! It seems as though it sits, sadly waiting for the departed to come into her arms! Awesome!!

[aneaglesangel]

This was probably the spookiest part of our little tour of Rural Cemetery. I was looking over a mausoleum complaining about taking a shot inside against a reflective surface. When, low and behold, the door creaked open a bit. There is a chain holding it closed, but there was just enough space for me to slip the lens of my cam in and snap a shot or two! The creaky loud door was ominous in the stillness as it creaked open then later banged shut as I secured it back up again. I apologized to the residents, in case I disturbed them!!!



I thought this was a pleasant way to be buried, and then you can grow up into a tree!!

[aneaglesangel]

I liked this quaint little stone house. It looks like it may have been here a long time and maybe horse drawn funeral carriages pulled up under the breezeway.



I can't help it, I loved this tree! Look at that big branch on it, it's the size of a tree itself! It must be quite old!!



Here's where we end our tour of the Rural Cemetery in New Bedford. I found this to be an odd little memorial. I'm not sure if I've seen one like it before. I'm hoping all the pics came out alright. As we know my darned computer doesn't want to cooperate, so I apologize if any of the pictures aren't of good quality. I try, but hey, everyone makes mistakes sometimes! I hope you've enjoyed coming on my walk with me!! If you visit and you see the idiot with the spray can, smack him for me, will ya??!

[mastershake]

Excellent pics aneagles. Where is rural cemetery? Is that the one across from Shaw's on Rt. 6?

The "Public" mausoleum is just that- public. I've been told (by someone more expert than I on cemeteries) that these were used to store bodies during winter months when the ground was too frozen to dig into. It may also be where indigent people were placed when they died.

You found some very unique monuments. The tower almost looks like a Muslim minaret, and that anchor is classic NB.

[lildebcc]

Great pictures! I have loved cemeteries since I was a kid. They are very interesting places and are loaded with so much history. >^o.o^<

[watcher108]

I may have the wrong cemetary but i think over in the vetrans section there is a man who was found at sea during ww1 or 2 that identified himself as a seaman who lived many years before and that he knew things about this mariner that he would have had no reason to know as the man he claimed to be was just an ordinary guy.To my knowledge the mystery of who the man found at sea really was has never been solved,and im pretty sure i got a refresher on this info from fate mag. a long time ago,sorry for being so vague,but if anyone is really interested ill check out my old issues and im driving by the cem. next week and ill see if i can pick out the tombstone,maybe it will jog my memory.

[aneaglesangel]

No, this one is in between Rockdale Ave and Dartmouth St. I believe that's Grape that runs along one side of it. There sure are alot of awesome monuments in there. I've been meaning to go by and check it out for a while. I never realized until I read about it somewhere that there were many historic graves in it. LOL, I have a hard time keeping track of which place goes to which story!! If I don't write it down in my book, forget it, I'll mix them up with something else! Hmm, maybe I read too much haunted stuff??? Naaaw!!!

I thought that tower was cool too! Looks definitely Muslim, and the anchor was great! Wait until you see it in person!! I didn't post all the pics I have, but some of them were so sad. There's a family that had all four children die within a year, each a few months apart! My race car driver says if she remembered right that the 1840's there were alot of consumption deaths. I know when consumption hit, it would take out whole families. It was sort of disconcerting to see the solid evidence of this, with entire families interred there with dates that were so close together. So sad!! I'm glad we have modern medicine, that's for sure!!! Many children back then didn't make it to be 5!! I'd love to go again, let me know if any of you guys are going out there! I'm always game to meet hunters in the area!!

[karlsaves]

I wish ca had half the history that New England has.

[aneaglesangel]

Hey how ya doing, karl!? I've got a moderator from my site who's in Cali! She knows quite a bit of the history. There are still some interesting haunts over there! I don't think you can beat New England, we're still one of the oldest parts of the country and all! Have you lived in Cali all your life??

[lildebcc]

There are a lot of old stones in cemeteries around Cape Cod. There is one in Truro that dates back to 1713 - it's the oldest buriel in Truro. There are less than 20 gravestones from the 17th century around The Cape. It is amazing that they have lasted so long, and some are still readable. >^o.o^<

[mastershake]

I think there would be more older stones (17th Century) on the South Coast if not Cape Cod, if Quakers were not the predominant settling group in those days. Quakers never used headstones until almost the 18th Century. If anyone here is a Quaker, maybe you can elaborate a bit more.
But the dominant group in Old Dartmouth (NB, Dartmouth, Westport) and Freetown too if I'm not mistaken, was the Quakers. This is a result of the areas relative seperateness from the main Plymouth colony as well as the Mass. Bay Colony in Boston. It also was repsonsible to a point for the disunity in the New Plymouth Colony (also responsible was the decimation brought by King Philip's War), which led to the absorption of New Plymouth (Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable counties) into the Mass. Bay colony in 1691.

[aneaglesangel]

Hmm, I'll have to go look around and see what the oldest stone is around here. I'm pretty sure a couple of cemeteries in Acushnet pre-date the 1700's. I don't think I've ever gone on a search for the oldest stones around. They could be anywhere though, there's many small family plots that are just right along side the roads. This should be an interesting little photo shoot for me. Finding the oldest graves!! I went the other day and got a lot of shots of downtown NB. I have to say when I got around the Whaling Museum, it gave me quite a feeling. I'm beginning to believe maybe the stories about it are true! I'll try to get a few pics up over here, but I really do like the idea of finding really old graves. Now if the dang weather would just clear up!!!

[mastershake]

what are the stories about the whaling museum?