Within the 196 acres of Mount Hope Cemetery there exists some niches of beauty hidden in remote areas known only to hikers, explorers, and, of course, to the Friends of Mount Hope. One such remote but beloved area is the burial place of the Fish Family in Section I. The central attraction in this overgrown, wild area is the iconic monument of a boy and his dog, the gravesite of four-month-old Henry Fish, Jr. who died in 1860 from “congestion of the brain.” The lovely stone reflects the sorrow of his parents, Henry L. and Lucinda Fish. Recently the monument was cleaned using a D2 treatment, and it now appears like a shining light in a vast wilderness of green.
One July Saturday our landscape team of Tony Filer, Tom Jones, and Chris Petote decided to clear the area around the Fish gravesite. They discovered that this family plot had been meticulously designed with triangular stone sidewalks. They trimmed back the undergrowth, cut branches, raked and popped out seedlings.
Now the question is whether to maintain this area or let it return to nature. This “tier” is a small part of Section I, perhaps a half acre. It would need to be weedwhacked regularly, and some fallen gravestones would need to be repaired. Perhaps some adventurous history-loving volunteers would like to adopt this piece of land and maintain it. Others might want to make a contribution to fix broken gravestones on this site.
We have made a start – an important first step – now let’s see what happens!
