Born: 1849
Died: Jan. 11, 1905
Aged: 55 Years
Even then the inscription's hard to make out. The
elements have pocked and faded the script. Mold obscures much of the face. The
“k” in Simsack is disappearing, so too the fateful day John passed away that January
of 1905.
A century after his death, Mother Nature has all but rubbed
out these last words on John Simsack. In another decade or so, She’ll wipe them
away for good. And then the limestone marker that fixes this final resting
place will more closely resemble those of its older neighbors: blank-faced and
leaning, sinking deeper into the ground.
It’s a sobering thought and, as I studied Simsack’s grave recently
on walk through this historic Pennsylvania cemetery, it reminded me of the
growing debate in green burial circles about biodegradable grave markers.
Most natural cemeteries in the U.S. ask families to mark
graves with fieldstone, river rock, or some other “natural” material that’s collected
on site or from a similar geological stratum. Unlike the granite or bronze markers
you see in standard cemeteries, fieldstones and their ilk break down quickly out in the open.
Within a hundred years, they’ll weather into the landscape, leaving future
visitors to consult cemetery maps or GPS coordinates to locate the graves of
their beloved departed.
The policy on markers is in keeping with the dust-to-dust
philosophy that guides natural burial. It's also one not everybody -- green
burial advocates included -- agrees with.
Some critics, as I noted earlier in this space, argue that
an (eventually) unmarked grave devalues the individuality of the deceased, the
uniqueness of that one life. From that perspective, the dead serve as mere soil
amendment and the natural cemetery little more than a mass, utilitarian
composting scheme. Genealogists dislike the practice, too, as it denies descendants the chance to see evidence of their ancestry and thus feel
their rightful place in the long chain of family.
All these arguments have real merit (enough so that some natural cemeteries are working to address them, something I'll explore in my next blog).
Even so, I think it’s important to keep in mind the lesson
of John Simsack’s weathering headstone. Which is this: No grave marker
lasts forever. None of the headstones in Fountain Hill Cemetery will endure. Not the fieldstone that will one day cover my grave in the natural burial ground I’ve started within this cemetery. But neither the markers of limestone, slate, and
marble that rise from the old section here. Nor the headstones that were cut from seemingly
impermeable granite, which came to replace limestone in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries.
A harder stone buys time, for sure, but it doesn't buy eternity. In due
time, all the headstones that populate this cemetery, no matter their durability, will degrade. Inscriptions will eventually fade. Stones will
eventually topple or, like the bronze marker that rests on the grave of my
great-grandmother in a Rochester, NY, cemetery, sink into the earth.
The green policy on biodegradable grave markers is a tough
one to like. In part, I think that’s because it asks us on a very practical
level to accept, if not fully embrace, our mutability. A readily-degrading fieldstone
inscribed with our name and dates acknowledges that we really are only here for
a time. We’re just passing through.
What endures is not the overt reminder of our one, short life
but the on-going pageant of all life.
Mark Harris, author
Author, Grave Matters
“The manifesto of the [green burial] movement,” Indianapolis Star
“The manifesto of the [green burial] movement,” Indianapolis Star
Upcoming Appearances:
March 27 (Fri), 2:00 PM
March 27 (Fri), 2:00 PM
Bethlehem, PA. Kirkland Village
April 7 (Tue), 7:00 PM
Allentown, PA. Our Lady of Help Christians School
April 18 (Sat), Noon - 3:00 PM
Emmaus, PA. Poole Sanctuary
April 21 (Tues), 6:00
Allentown, PA. Our Lady of Help Christians School
April 18 (Sat), Noon - 3:00 PM
Emmaus, PA. Poole Sanctuary
April 21 (Tues), 6:00
Bethlehem, PA. Moravian College
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