The Mystic River cuts through the southeast corner of Connecticut. Barely three and a half miles long, this estuary divides the historic village of Mystic and its banks even serve as home to a Maritime Museum. I anticipated imagery that referenced this small fishing village's history. I even expected the rolling hills and enormous weeping willows we were walking along. What I did not expect was the ornate Egyptian, Greek and Gothic Architecture. From a distance it appeared to be a quiet park sitting along the river bank. Though below the stoic arch at the entrance, it became clear that Elm Grove was not a park, but a cemetery. Rather than focusing on the finality of death, this Victorian style cemetery was designed more than 155 years ago around the idea of eternal rest. The concept was based on the romantic idea of a garden burial ground where the community would gather to spend Sunday afternoons. I don't know what sort of turn out Elm Grove got a hundred years ago, but on this Friday night there were a few visitors - folks walking dogs and the occasional jogger. I suppose it is a credit to the planners who more than a century ago were looking to find a meeting place for both life and death. I, however, was more focused on what a difference such a short distance could make in the identity of a place.
