Visiting the Civil War graves in Vermont

I’ve always loved finding old cemeteries. Every small town I drive through I always stop at the graveyards to see what is the oldest grave there. I found a grave from 1706 in a town outside of Austin. I found another family from 1809 that seemed to have all died within months of each other. Up north the graves are older, from the 1600s.

The way each country buries their dead differs by culture, but even in the US there are small nuances as to how each state buries those who have passed on. If you’ve ever been to Louisiana you’d see the famous above ground mausoleum graves, or personal family graves buried in the canyons of New Mexico, the meticulously laid out graves at Arlington cemetery, or here in New England, graves on the hillsides and forests.

Worldwide if you’ve ever visited gravesites or cemeteries you would see the differences in the cultures as well. In Asia there are many temples with graves. In Ecuador there are fantastic gravesites with white marble headstones dotting the hills around towns. In Europe there are graves in forests and mountains.

In the USA it’s hard to find truly old graves like that in Europe, but up in the New England area are some of the oldest graves in the country. I was able to find burial grounds from the 1700s, and found out that there were Civil War cemeteries on top of hills overlooking mountains., like those in these photos.

While in Vermont I spent all morning looking for the civil war graves buried by a beautiful lake. It seemed that no one really knew where they were, you had to sort of find them for yourself. When I finally did, it was breathtaking experience. All the graves are exactly as they had been, barely any upkeep, slowly allowing nature to take over.

I like cemeteries for their peacefulness, but also the juxtaposition between life and death. Here I am, a walking, breathing, vibrant human being, walking among those who have passed on, stepping on the ground that had become their final resting place. It makes me reflect on my life, what I’m doing with it, and what these people’s final moments were like.

Many think it’s macabre or wrong to enjoy cemeteries so much, but it’s more the feeling of the culture, of times passed, history gone by and the remembrance of how life is fleeting and all we can do to make the most of it, is our very best.

Visiting this cemetery in particular was such an incredible experience. I’m so grateful for this life and the ability to do things like this that I love, which give me so much joy, fascinating and intrigue for life!