A celebration on Sunday, Oct 19, at 2 p.m. will mark the bicentennial year of the Grove Street Cemetery, the first chartered burial ground in the United States.
More formally known as the New Haven City Burial Ground, the cemetery is the resting place of such noted individuals as inventor Eli Whitney, abolitionist Lyman Beecher and football's Walter Camp, as well as a number of Yale presidents.
New Haven citizens of every profession and culture who contributed to the city's history are interred there as well. Among these are two key figures in the Amistad case: Roger Baldwin, who argued for the release of the imprisoned slaves, and Yale professor Josiah Willard Gibbs, who deciphered their language.
The bicentennial ceremonies, organized by the Proprietor's Standing Committee and Friends of the Grove Street Cemetery, will be held on the cemetery grounds. Former Yale President Howard Lamar of the Proprietor's Standing Committee will open the ceremonies. President Richard C. Levin, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. and New Haven Register senior editor emeritus Robert Leeney will offer their reflections.
This will be followed by a dramatic presentation featuring representations of some of the individuals buried in the cemetery, including jurist and statesman Roger Sherman, lexicographer Noah Webster and Mary Goodman, the African-American woman who gave her life savings to the Divinity School for the education of African-American clergy.
Professor David Musto, chair of the bicentennial committee says: "The history of New Haven and of the nation is reflected in the Grove Street Cemetery. It has been the model for cemeteries across the country -- not just because historical figures are buried here, but because it's urban, nonsectarian, and beautifully planned. It's one of New Haven's cultural treasures."
The New Haven City Burial Ground antedates the renowned cemeteries of Pere-Lachaise in Paris and Mt. Auburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Grove Street Cemetery's Egyptian-style wall and lofty entrance were designed by architect Henry Austin in 1845. A Victorian chapel is sited just inside the gate; its only decoration is a gilded butterfly, symbolizing the soul's release. The cemetery has been an attraction for tourists since James Hillhouse, one of the fathers of American urban design, created the plan for the New Haven landmark.
William Cameron Jr., who has been cemetery superintendent for 21 years, notes, "On the pathways here, you meet people from every walk of life. Some people think this is just a place for Yale people and dignitaries. But it isn't. Anyone can come here. It's a very peaceful and dignified place."