Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/78488
inmates and families of inmates formed a committee to dignify the burials. When the committee and local Boy Scout troops started the project, the grave area was so over- grown that they had no idea what the perimeters might be. And, because they did not want to damage any stone, the clearing was done com- pletely by hand. Two and a half acres later, they found the boundaries. Today, a large boulder in front of a wrought iron gate marks the entrance to this cemetery. It is inscribed: Remember us, for we too have lived and loved and laughed. And today, each grave is marked by two stones. The new ones, placed next to the originals, give a name and date of birth and death. After the research was complete, the committee real- ized the burials were segregated by religion: Catholics in one section, Protestants in another. "No Jews are there," says Thompson, "they all claimed their own." At the 2005 ceremony dedicat- ing the restoration work, Elizabeth Childs, then commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, acknowledged, "There is profound meaning in reclaiming this cemetery and restoring [the patients] memory. It is essential to correcting the years of stigma." JOY KANT FINE ART Joy Kant Fine Art at Susu Bakery Boutique Join us at the opening and meet Tom Howard September 27, 2012 6-8:30pm 575 Washington Street Wellesley, MA 02482 Artwork on display from Sept. 20 - Oct. 27, 2012 For further information: 617-965-2135 Newton, MA 02468 www.joykantfineart.com Call for an appointment. Tom Howard, Summer Shade, Oil on panel, 13.75" x 13.75" 101 fall 2012 | WellesleyWeston Magazine