Life amidst Death or understanding the importance of Cemeteries.
As we walk along the paved paths of hiking trails, very frequently I find my gaze is stuck squarely on the ground. While my eyes dart between the vegetation there is always something in particular that catches my eyes, the fungi that has begun to bloom around the edges of a fallen tree. The way that they have begun in clusters to cover every inch of space that they possibly could, and the knowledge that just below the surface a network of mycorrhiza is steadily growing. Though there is a sense of serene beauty that surrounds the forest as a whole, we all too often glance over something such as mushrooms and the things that we may associate with them–the sense that everything comes to an end. We as humans have created a terrifying ambiance around the ideas of death, that it is a final end to all things. I believe it isn’t entirely that simple and that even as time passes without us, things will always continue to breathe life out of death. That even with our stark contrast between life and death as we understand that nature itself easily sees it as new beginnings. That much like the mushroom, animals in the food chain bring forth new beginnings and life from the nutrients they receive in the passing of other creatures. In the similar way to that of fungi’s attachment to preexisting plants or those reaching the end of their lives in order to use those nutrients in furthering their own population. A bear will feed upon a fish and share it with their young or conserve the energy and nutrients within for when they conceive cubs. That while death is simply a part of all life cycles, that it inevitably fulfills a purpose for allowing for more life to come after.
Within this more circular understanding of life and death, along with the knowledge that change is simply part of the passage of time will explain further my interest in Rockafield cemetery as an area of both remembrance but also that of renewal. I think to fully encompass just how frequent change is and the innovation that it can bring forth is through examining first the timeline of cemeteries as a whole and then narrowing the vision down to that of the cemeteries on campus.
According to Keith Eggener’s the Fascinating History of Cemeteries, the more modern practice of burial that we exercise within our cemeteries wasn’t a means of honoring them roughly 120,000 years ago. In that time, burial of the dead was reserved only for transgressors until they realized the advantages that may come with burial of those who have passed. Even after that it wouldn’t be until approximately 10,000 to 15,000 ago that we saw the first communal burial areas in North Africa and West Asia as Eggener states. Prior to this era, there were different ways depending on culture and geographical location that were used in the handling of the dead, but it was quickly adapted once the advantages of burial were discovered. Even now the way that we take care to respect and handle those who have passed changes as we find more ethically and ecologically innovative ways to treat the dead.
Just as the passage of time comes with plenty of changes both minute and major, it shouldn’t be all too surprising that the land that Rockafield cemetery exists on has gone through plenty of changes since it was originally purchased by Wright State in 1984, according to a research report by the department of landscape management and development. In the century and a half prior to that purchase, the land not only of the Rockafield cemetery but the rest of campus has switched hands quite a few times. Throughout the historical documentation, there are plenty of different families that held ownership over the land that Wright State rests on today some of those families were the Mays, Millers, Mercers, Costs, and of course the Rockafields. The land that the cemetery exists on now was once owned by John Cost which was then acquired by his daughter and John Rockafield’s wife, Susan Elizabeth. During the subsequent years it existed as a seemingly farmstead, as implied by the following mention in the report “Henry, one of John and Susan’s sons, managed his father’s land until 1869, when the youngest heir, George, came of age.” (Page 12). After this event the land was sold, only to be rebought by Henry when he returned to buy land near his birthplace. As we can see, the land is weaved throughout these family’s trees much like the mycorrhizal network existing as a place of creation and then later on as one of the final resting places of quite a few of the names mentioned. The land existed and evolved with the changes as they came, the life and death that occurred upon them changed the layout as the years slipped by.
When we imagine the final resting place, it conjures up feelings of melancholy and grief. It leaves an eerie feeling over the leafless trees and rows of neglected headstones. Though that wasn’t always the case, as Eggener mentions within The Fascinating History of Cemeteries video. Cemeteries at one point were a lot livelier than we imagine them today, the landscape dotted with colorful flora and folks strolling among the headstones. There were even points in history in which Christan cemeteries were the backdrop to festivals and markets, along with the occasional grazing ground for nearby farms. The emotional landscape that we frequently associated with cemeteries didn’t even come into the view of the public until industrialization, in which we began to move further from a communal sense of life and more towards an individualistic one.
With that being said, I have to bring up once more why do we think of death as an ending of all things and cemeteries as a location for nothing but sorrow–given the ever-evolving history of burial rites up until this point? When I first came across the Rockafield Cemetery I was almost taken aback by the simple beauty and livelihood of it. While some may deem the small burial grounds as being messy due to the tall grass around the headstones and old wooden fencing eroding with time, I believe that it is a beautiful recreation on a smaller scale as mentioned previously the circular cycle of life and death. That the land in which the Rockafield family had at one point used as land for crops is once more returned through the cycle of being the final resting place of both the Rockafields, neighboring family, and those in serving positions to the family returned back to a place teeming with life. I felt as though the sunlight that shined through the canopy of leaves was highlighting this wonderful circle that allows for more positive feelings to be associated with these places. That just as the land the cemetery was built upon has changed hands and forms over time, it has gone through plenty of the cycles of life and death as we know it. That even in areas that we imagine of being so shrouded in shadows can sprout forth new life.
Works Cited
Eggener, Keith. “The Fascinating History of Cemeteries.” Www.ted.com, 30 Oct. 2018, www.ted.com/talks/keith_eggener_the_fascinating_history_of_cemeteries/transcript?language=en. Accessed 13 Oct. 2022.
Research report by Department of Landscape Management and Development (copy), 1973, Folder: SC-1, Item: 5. Rockafield Family Papers (SC-1), SC-1. Wright State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives.
Within this more circular understanding of life and death, along with the knowledge that change is simply part of the passage of time will explain further my interest in Rockafield cemetery as an area of both remembrance but also that of renewal. I think to fully encompass just how frequent change is and the innovation that it can bring forth is through examining first the timeline of cemeteries as a whole and then narrowing the vision down to that of the cemeteries on campus.
According to Keith Eggener’s the Fascinating History of Cemeteries, the more modern practice of burial that we exercise within our cemeteries wasn’t a means of honoring them roughly 120,000 years ago. In that time, burial of the dead was reserved only for transgressors until they realized the advantages that may come with burial of those who have passed. Even after that it wouldn’t be until approximately 10,000 to 15,000 ago that we saw the first communal burial areas in North Africa and West Asia as Eggener states. Prior to this era, there were different ways depending on culture and geographical location that were used in the handling of the dead, but it was quickly adapted once the advantages of burial were discovered. Even now the way that we take care to respect and handle those who have passed changes as we find more ethically and ecologically innovative ways to treat the dead.
Just as the passage of time comes with plenty of changes both minute and major, it shouldn’t be all too surprising that the land that Rockafield cemetery exists on has gone through plenty of changes since it was originally purchased by Wright State in 1984, according to a research report by the department of landscape management and development. In the century and a half prior to that purchase, the land not only of the Rockafield cemetery but the rest of campus has switched hands quite a few times. Throughout the historical documentation, there are plenty of different families that held ownership over the land that Wright State rests on today some of those families were the Mays, Millers, Mercers, Costs, and of course the Rockafields. The land that the cemetery exists on now was once owned by John Cost which was then acquired by his daughter and John Rockafield’s wife, Susan Elizabeth. During the subsequent years it existed as a seemingly farmstead, as implied by the following mention in the report “Henry, one of John and Susan’s sons, managed his father’s land until 1869, when the youngest heir, George, came of age.” (Page 12). After this event the land was sold, only to be rebought by Henry when he returned to buy land near his birthplace. As we can see, the land is weaved throughout these family’s trees much like the mycorrhizal network existing as a place of creation and then later on as one of the final resting places of quite a few of the names mentioned. The land existed and evolved with the changes as they came, the life and death that occurred upon them changed the layout as the years slipped by.
When we imagine the final resting place, it conjures up feelings of melancholy and grief. It leaves an eerie feeling over the leafless trees and rows of neglected headstones. Though that wasn’t always the case, as Eggener mentions within The Fascinating History of Cemeteries video. Cemeteries at one point were a lot livelier than we imagine them today, the landscape dotted with colorful flora and folks strolling among the headstones. There were even points in history in which Christan cemeteries were the backdrop to festivals and markets, along with the occasional grazing ground for nearby farms. The emotional landscape that we frequently associated with cemeteries didn’t even come into the view of the public until industrialization, in which we began to move further from a communal sense of life and more towards an individualistic one.
With that being said, I have to bring up once more why do we think of death as an ending of all things and cemeteries as a location for nothing but sorrow–given the ever-evolving history of burial rites up until this point? When I first came across the Rockafield Cemetery I was almost taken aback by the simple beauty and livelihood of it. While some may deem the small burial grounds as being messy due to the tall grass around the headstones and old wooden fencing eroding with time, I believe that it is a beautiful recreation on a smaller scale as mentioned previously the circular cycle of life and death. That the land in which the Rockafield family had at one point used as land for crops is once more returned through the cycle of being the final resting place of both the Rockafields, neighboring family, and those in serving positions to the family returned back to a place teeming with life. I felt as though the sunlight that shined through the canopy of leaves was highlighting this wonderful circle that allows for more positive feelings to be associated with these places. That just as the land the cemetery was built upon has changed hands and forms over time, it has gone through plenty of the cycles of life and death as we know it. That even in areas that we imagine of being so shrouded in shadows can sprout forth new life.
Works Cited
Eggener, Keith. “The Fascinating History of Cemeteries.” Www.ted.com, 30 Oct. 2018, www.ted.com/talks/keith_eggener_the_fascinating_history_of_cemeteries/transcript?language=en. Accessed 13 Oct. 2022.
Research report by Department of Landscape Management and Development (copy), 1973, Folder: SC-1, Item: 5. Rockafield Family Papers (SC-1), SC-1. Wright State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives.