Just 15 minutes drive from Montpelier, Vermont in the little town of Barre (pronounced like Mary), Hope Cemetery is not just a resting place but an open-air sculpture gallery, showcasing the exceptional craftsmanship of Vermont’s stone carvers. While cemeteries aren’t always top of the itinerary when planning a trip, this one is a real gem well worth visiting if you're in Vermont. Barre is considered to be the granite capital of the world; in fact, about a third of all the monuments in the entire United States are made from Barre granite, and the town's legacy is on full display here. The gravestones here range from simple markers to bold, elaborate sculptures that tell personal stories or reflect the deceased’s life and passions. You’ll find everything from planes to footballs, animals, flowers, and larger-than-life depictions of people at work or in the midst of their favourite activities.
A brief history of Hope Cemetery
Hope Cemetery was established in 1895. As you walk around the 65-acre site, you'll notice lots of Italian and Scottish last names on the gravestones. Scottish immigrants were some of the earliest to arrive in Barre in the mid-1800s, followed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by large numbers of Italian immigrants, drawn by the promise of work in the granite quarries. Both countries are known for their skilled stone carvers, quarry workers and stone polishers, and their influx into Barre launched its reputation as the granite capital of the world.
You might also notice the young age of many of the men buried in Hope Cemetery: 30, 40, 50. While Barre had 3,000 stoneworkers in 1910, just 9 years later the number had plummeted to 1,240. The cause? Silicosis: a lung disease that’s common among stone workers, who inhale airborne silica, a mineral found in many types of rock, throughout their carving career. It became more prevalent after pneumatic compressed-air tools were invented in the 1890s, creating far more dust than hand tools like a hammer and chisel ever could, massively affecting sufferers’ breathing and leaving them extremely susceptible to other deadly lung ailments like tuberculosis, lung cancer, as well as autoimmune diseases like lupus.
Famous granite carver Luigi “Louis” Giovanni Brusa’s grave dramatically depicts his own lingering Silicosis death - his monument, The Dying Man , shows Brusa slumped in a chair, being tended to by his wife. His older brother, buried in a family grave carved by Louis, died of the same disease.
In 1937, the year Louis died: Vermont legislature passed laws that would improve conditions for granite workers: requiring shed owners to install dust-removal systems. In 1937-38, the Vermont Department of Health tested men who worked in the stone cutting sheds and found that 45 percent of them had silicosis, and by 1939, dust management had become standard practice.
When the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918 came to Barre it was absolutely devastating: With lungs weakened by years of inhaling dust, over 100 granite workers died in just three weeks. You can find a granite bench dedicated to American victims of the Spanish Flu - one of very few national memorials to the disease - in Hope Cemetery. It was erected in 2018 to mark the 100th anniversary of the pandemic.
Artistic Masterpieces
What makes the gravestones in Hope Cemetery so poignant and unique is that they are largely carved by either the grave's occupant (like master carver Elia Corte) or by one of their friends, such is the small close-knit community in Barre. This means that they often contain beautiful personal details, portraits and favourite objects. You'll find monuments carved in the shape of an aeroplane, a racing car, a house and a football.
The family tomb of Louis Brusa's brother and parents is known as the "bored angel", and one of the most touching gravesites is the monument of a husband and wife sitting up in bed, reading their books together - something that they so enjoyed doing in life.
Other intriguing monuments include a pair of pyramids inscribed with a set of Evangelical instructions to the reader of how to reach Heaven and an enormous letter A.
Visiting Hope Cemetery
Visiting Hope Cemetery is free and open to the public year-round from 7am until dusk. It’s especially popular during the autumn - Vermont as some of the most spectacular Fall Foliage in New England! It’s easy to get lost in the quiet beauty of the place and the intricate gravestones provide plenty of opportunities for reflection and photography.
For those interested in history and art, Hope Cemetery is a fascinating place where visitors can connect with the past in a profound and personal way.
The address is: Hope Cemetery, 201 Maple Avenue, Barre, VT 05641.
Please remember that this is still a working cemetery that Barre families still use and visit and treat the monuments and gravesites with respect.
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