Each of the places I am studying, I have been to. Each place has its own history, and each place has a personal history and memory for me.
Arlington:
I went on a school trip to Washington DC in 2004. I was only 13 at the time. We saw the classic sites to see from Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell, the Jefferson Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, Monticello, and many more that I can barely remember. Arlington National Cemetery was the place that left an indelible impression on me.
Driving in the main gate with the multitudes of other tour busses, walking with the herd of tourists, it does not seem all that impressive. But, the first time I looked down a hill, I was shocked. Behind me were thousands of similar graves on rolling, manicured hills. It is both gorgeous and morbid. The more time I spent wandering around the grounds, watching the Changing of the Guard Ceremony, I realized just how many people have been put to rest here. To my mind this epically large (but simple at times) cemetery was an amazingly appropriate memorial to those who have fought in wars on behalf of the United States. Even at its busiest, you can always find a quite area where you can truly think about exactly where you are standing and all of the history that is contained within its fences.
Davis:
I attended University of California at Davis from 2009-2013. Prior to my senior year, I began to look for an internship that aligned with my minor of environmental horticulture. I saw an ad for the Davis Cemetery District and Arboretum. For over a year I was the horticulture intern. I worked under Joe Finkelman, the head groundskeeper. He had a vision for the cemetery that he has been working towards for years. The front half of the cemetery is a traditional graveyard with manicured grass and lines of headstones broken up by historic family copings. The back half of the grounds are hopefully its future. It is somewhat wild with no burials. Joe is hoping to turn this area into a more environmentally sustainable part of the cemetery. The final goal is to create a park where people walk regularly, take their dogs for a run, but there happens to be burials and headstones among the wildflowers and old trees.
My regular work included weeding, replanting in the historical family copings, hauling wood to the waste piles out back, trimming trees, raking, and general cleaning up. Almost needless to say, I loved it. Walking around the cemetery I found out all about the history of Davis. Families who founded the town, families who had been there since 1900; I learned their stories and studied their headstones. You can find whole families clustered or scattered throughout the grounds. Each headstone was unique and beautiful, the small details drew me in. The historical copings near the entrance to the grounds are well maintained and are a point of pride. Working in the back half of the cemetery, while often running away from the wild turkeys that resided there, was one of my favorite things to do. Even while digging on my hands and knees, shoveling, and sweating, it was always beautiful to me. The intense variety of trees, mounds covered in hearty flowering bushes, the wild grass and flower field, and new plants that showed up almost weekly, constantly surprised me with their beauty.
Eugene:
Eugene Pioneer Cemetery is somewhat new to me. I first came to Eugene in 2008 on a tour of potential colleges. It was raining and gloomy. The one thing that stood out to me was the cemetery. I was intrigued. What kind of school was this that had a cemetery directly on campus?
I am in Eugene for graduate school. I live within two minutes of the cemetery. I walk by it every single day. I find its beauty in its simplicity. It is simply laid out, with clear paths and a grid to follow. The trees are large and shading, they fit the general feel. The exceptional parts of this cemetery are its various headstones and grave markers. There are basic headstones, family copings, and intricate artistic makers that can be spotted even from the street. I want to learn more. I want to walk through the grounds whenever I can, and I do.