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Cedar Hill Cemetery LbNA #1314

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Sep 6, 2002
Location:
City:Hartford
County:Hartford
State:Connecticut
Boxes:4
Planted by:rtrw
Found by: Mark & Sue Pepe (4)
Last found:Mar 31, 2005
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFa
Last edited:Sep 6, 2002
July 2005 -
All boxes are gone from the cemetery. Re carving is under way and there will be some new additions when the boxes return to the cemetery. When the boxes are in place I will send a note to the announce page. Thanks to all who have asked and sorry to those who have looked in vain.
rebecca


11-10-04 All boxes are being removed this morning for sprucing up and maintainance - my least favorite part of this hobby. It's time. They should be back where they belong, maybe with friends in by November 22nd. -rtrw-

11-4-03 I received this in an email. I won't be able to check on it for a month or so, so check it out in it's new location.
"Horace Wells was open and the contents scattered around a 15' radius from the tree. I found 2 of the stamps (portrait & 'Wells') the stamp pad (no good anymore) but no book. So I tore a page out of mine and put that in there. I also MOVED THE BOX! It is now at the same compass heading about 10' beyond the cedar to a hollow in the base of a leaning tree. I hope it's more secure there... " Thanks for taking care of it for me.

6-19-03 All four boxes are back in the cemetery, though Horace Wells has been moved to a new and less obvious location

Difficulty – easy – one degree harder than easy. Don’t worry, you’ll find them.
Time – an hour if you are just out to bag some boxes. More if you want to get to know the place, it’s luminaries and trees.
Distance – I meant to check this, but forgot. You tell me.

Cedar Hill Cemetery is located at 453 Fairfield Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut. I checked the Yahoo Map feature, and it gave me good directions.

You can find a printable and helpful map and other information at www.cedarhillcemetery.org/TourMap.htm. People have had trouble with the last box, so I'd suggest running a copy.
Entrance is through the main gate only
The gate is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily
Dogs aren’t allowed. Sorry, pups.


I have enjoyed this cemetery for years (I know that sounds a little morbid). I hope you will find it as beautiful and educational as I have. Before you head into the cemetery, please be aware that though there is substantial historical value here Cedar Hill is a modern cemetery, as well. Please be conscientious of, and compassionate to those who may be mourning or visiting the gravesite of loved ones. Thanks.

Turn into Cedar Hill Cemetery. Here, on the right side of the big bowl/fountain, you may pick up your Guide for Visitors and Guide to Notable Trees. Proceed to the place on the right where you may park your car. Hop out, grab your bag and hit the path, heading in the same direction.

Protecting Angel Letterbox

This is my “ungifted artist” attempt to copy a very beautiful and dramatic feature of this cemetery. Hopefully you will know what I was going for if you go by the real thing later. Heads up, there is poison ivy in front of the reclining log, so step gingerly and don’t wear sandals. Trust me in this. I wore sandals to plant. Again. You would think I would know better by now.

The Clues:
Very, very shortly after the parking area you will see a cement bridge over a stream on your left. There are wooden posts with a chain between them. I’m not sure if the chain is always there, but no matter, follow the path into the somewhat wooded area. I counted 65 steps from the bridge and looked left. I saw a fallen tree and hid something for you at the southern end.


Horace Wells Letterbox

Wells was born at the turn of the nineteenth century. A Hartford resident, he was a dentist whose discovery of anesthesia banished surgical pain, revolutionized surgery, and brought safety and comfort to the operating room. Wells became known as the best dentist in Hartford -- an area that was known for excellent dentistry. He championed the slogan, "the clean tooth does not decay!" which was used into the twentieth century to encourage children to clean their teeth. Because of his creativity, Wells even designed his own instruments and discovered dental procedures to aid in these methods. Up to the 1840’s, surgery was very painful to the patient, forcing surgeons to hurry through the procedure, thereby not allowing for quality care. Previously, methods to combat pain included alcohol, opium, and even hypnotism. Wells claimed that a patient could be gassed with nitrous oxide, feel no pain during the procedure, and awake feeling little, if any, discomfort. Several other people claimed the discovery as their own and Wells never received credit for his discovery during his lifetime. Sadly, he did himself in. I chose Wells because he never received any respect for his discovery when he was alive. Having been under anesthesia twice, I am very thankful for it. He, also, has a wild headstone.

The Clues:
Go back to the pavement and head up toward the cemetery, passing Llyn Mawr. Follow the pavement to the left as it turns until you reach section 4. Find the creative and interesting Horace Wells headstone. Check it out. OK, go back to the pavement and continue in the direction you were going. You should soon pass the old rugged cross. Your next headstone to find is the one that belongs to the family of “positive wealth”. Stand near it and then walk toward 120 degrees to the “essence of faith” headstone. (and this will be my last attempt at ”clever” for today)Standing in front and facing the stone, Look left and a little forward to a "path" behind a line of trees. Walk down this tree covered lane until you find a countryman of ours. Facing the front of this, look toward 10:00 at a cedar with low branches. Something you seek is waiting there, I hope. These are the most exhaustive groundskeepers in the history of time (a slight exaggeration maybe, but they are very good and neat), so please re-hide as well as you can. Thanks.

JP Morgan Letterbox

John Pierpont Morgan

Born in Hartford, Conn., the son of a financier, he began his career as an accountant in 1857 and then became a big league rich guy. He was, more importantly, a philanthropist. JP became one of the world’s most powerful railroad magnates, controlling about 5,000 miles of railway by 1902. He financed
a series of giant industrial consolidations, organizing the mergers that formed General Electric, U.S. Steel and International Harvester. A noted art collector, he donated many artworks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art; his book collection and the building that housed it became the Pierpont Morgan Library. I don’t know why, but I was surprised that he was born and buried in Hartford.

The Clues:
6-19-03 Just went back today for a hoot and this box was back in place. It had been missing for a while, but what was lost is now found. Glad to see you, JP.

If you have a map, go to cemetery section 11. If you don’t, read on. Go back to your last place you were on the pavement and continue in the same direction. Take your first right, passing Gideon Wells and the highly decorated Steadman memorial on your left. The Beach monument (across the paved road from Steadman) is the resting place of the architect for our own capitol building. Take a good look at it and next time you look at the top of the capitol dome you can remember Beach. Continue heading toward the back of the cemetery and when you come to the 5-way intersection, take the option at 310 degrees. The large Morgan monument will be on your left shortly. Find the “older” John Pierpont Morgan stone (there are two) that is to the right of the large reddish stone as you face it from the road. From the small stone go 12 steps at 290 degrees, then 15 steps at 190 degrees. Look left. The thing you seek is between the rhody and the conifer. It occurs to me now that a rhody’s leaves will curl up when it gets colder, so please do a better job in the hiding than I probably did. Thanks.



Crying Woman Letterbox
This one was sort of a personal one for me. In March of 2002, some workmen in my home accidentally allowed my 13-year-old Siamese cat, Grace, out of our house and we never saw her again. It’s pathetic how attached I was to the old girl, so stamp when I began letterboxing in April I used a Siamese cat stamp as my personal one. After realizing that carving is something I enjoy (note: not “am good at”, but enjoy), I decided to start searching out an image to carve as my I.D. It’s still a work in progress, but after I carved this stamp which I based upon a beautiful statue here at Cedar Hill it seemed a fitting place and stamp to recognize the departure of my old friend. I miss her. I doubt there will ever be another like her.

The Clues:

This letterbox is hidden in a more modern section of the cemetery, so please be especially aware of anyone who is there on a personal visit. Thanks.
I've been told this one is tougher to find.
You are looking for the resting place of Wallace Stevens in section 14. Stevens characterized himself as the "hermit of poetry” and he spent his days as a Hartford insurance executive and his nights as a poet. Find Wallace Stevens’ head stone. The day I was there I noticed that someone had placed a mussel shell as well as the traditional rocks on top of the stone. From the left side of the head stone walk 28 steps at about 265 degrees. Five steps at 200 degrees from the Rogers stone is a small grove of trees. The crying woman is hidden in, what I believe to be, some hanging cedar brush within. If you are interested, the actual sculpture upon which the crying woman stamp is based is in section 6. If you can't find it, you aren't alone. Here is a hint. Go to the back of section 14. You may be able to figure it out that way.


Other famous people buried at Cedar Hill
Isabella Beecher Hooker, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s sister and an early advocate of women’s rights– Thomas Gallaudet was the founding teacher of the American School for the Deaf – Morgan Bulkeley Mayor of Hartford and Governor of Connecticut. He’s also in the baseball hall of fame - George Capewell, developed and perfected the means to make horseshoe nails by machine. To this day, Hartford remains the horseshoe nail capital of the world. Who knew?