A Surprising Connection to Vine Lake Cemetery
Local Author to Include Story of Unsung Resident
Joseph Warren was a hero of the early Revolutionary period – the author of the Suffolk Resolves, the person who sent Paul Revere on that famous ride, and the hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill. At the time of his demise, he was a widower and father of four, the youngest of whom was just 3 years old. He was betrothed to Miss Mercy Scollay, an unsung Daughter of Liberty. Learn about this tragic romance, Miss Mercy’s patriotic poetry, her interactions with leading Patriots and long life as an unofficial widow.
Samuel Forman, author of the newly published Dr. Joseph Warren: The Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, and the Birth of American Liberty, will share new discoveries about Miss Scollay, a most distinguished and unrecognized Medfield resident.
Learn more about this endearing couple at a March 5th program sponsored by the Medfield Historical Society.
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What Makes Vine Lake Cemetery Special
Photo Galleries Provide New Perspectives
Vine Lake Cemetery is first and foremost a cemetery.
In addition, it is a National Historic Landmark, an outdoor museum, a peaceful and dignified open space, a repository of family history.
Using photo galleries in the Trust’s website, you can view the cemetery through a variety of perspectives.
History
Nature
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Nesting With the Resting
A Sure Sign of Spring Albeit in Winter
Seen soaring above the Old Section on Friday morning, February 10th, was a Turkey Vulture.

So named for their featherless head, resembling a Wild Turkey, and their habit of sitting on the ground to eat, Turkey Vultures are migratory in nature but winter as far north as Connecticut.
They appear in Massachusetts in February and slowly make their way north for a summer spent wavering over farm fields and eating carrion or dead meat. These birds have an acute sense of smell, reportedly being able to locate carcasses several miles away.
The Turkey Vulture’s return to our area is a sure sign that our days are getting warmer. Watch the skies for these large birds; it is a better sign of spring than the iconic robin, a species now found year round in our backyards. |
Celebrate Your Community
Introducing Medfield’s Cultural District Partners
The Trust will be one of the partners at the Thursday, March 1st gala at Medfield’s Memorial Public Library. Plan to attend between 7 and 9pm for music, light refreshments, and activities.
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Buried Treasure
Did You Know That…
…concrete is the worst product for preserving memorials?
For years volunteers thought that concrete, a strong and lasting product, was the best solution for repairing marble memorials that were loose in their bases. By adding a concrete collar above the base, the workers believed that a permanent solution was achieved. Instead, this well-intended approach became a shortcut to disaster.
Concrete has two characteristics which make it unacceptable for cemetery preservation. First, it is much harder than the marble it surrounds, not allowing any movement when the marble expands due to temperature. When the concrete acts as a vice grip around the memorial, the marble eventually cracks and then breaks and falls.
The second negative feature of concrete is that it attracts moisture. Water is constantly wicked to the marble which weakens its stability. Warm weather produces biological growth and cold weather produces ice, neither of which is desirable.
A solution might be to remove the concrete today to allow for industry-standard repairs; however, trying to chip away the harder concrete damages the softer marble because of the bond that was established. Any attempt will likely shatter the marble, and then a real mess has developed.
Today, in place of concrete, lime mortar is used to secure loose memorials in their bases. This compound is softer than concrete and repels water. The memorial is removed from its base, the socket is cleaned, a discrete bed of lime mortar is laid in the socket, and the memorial is reinserted with a small amount of mortar cushioning the memorial from its base.
You can easily see marble memorials in the Old Section which exhibit the incorrect use of concrete. Our only solution is to recognize what was done before and to use today’s best practices for future preservation.
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Preservation Projects Continue
Upcoming Season to Signal Next Initiative
The Trust’s Directors are currently establishing preservation plans for 2012. Their focus is on both volunteer and professional participation in a series of industry-standard preservation projects. In addressing its long-term goal of sharing the cemetery with future generations, the Directors intend to be faithful stewards of funds contributed for that purpose in our recent and very successful direct mail campaign. Thank you very much to our donors.
This photograph shows the exposed location of Elihu Chenery’s [1739 – 1807] slate memorial which broke at some date and then became covered with sod for many years. Its preservation will consist of excavating the bottom part, epoxying the two pieces, erecting it in the proper location, and cleaning.
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Medfield’s Other Art Gallery On Display
Preeminent Scholar of Gravestone Carvers to Speak
 Vincent Luti, a widely-known and highly-respected researcher of southeastern Massachusetts’ 18th century gravestone carvers, will collaborate with Rob Gregg to conduct a presentation at the April 2nd meeting of the Medfield Historical Society. Our focus will be the slate carvers in the Old Section. More details will follow in the March newsletter.
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Epitaphagram
A Monthly Chronicle of Inscriptions
“Death rides in every passing breeze,
He lurks in every flower,
Each season has its own disease,
Its peril every hour.
Turn, reader, turn, thy danger know,
Wher e’er thy foot can tread,
The earth rings hollow from below,
And warns thee of her dead.”
This inscription is on the memorial to David Onion, son of David and Caroline (Morse) Onion, who died October 22, 1827 in his 39th year. [Section A-4, Grave 47]
Note: Only the first line of this inscription remains above ground; the remaining 7 lines are now below grade. The source for this complete inscription is the 1899 Catalog of Inscriptions.
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Photograph Credits in This Issue
Vine Lake Preservation Trust, Daily Bird New England, Harvard School of Public Health, Edmund Prescottano
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Comments, Questions, Ideas…?
…are always welcome; click to reply, and thank you. Volunteers are always appreciated for projects in beautification, preservation, education, and research.
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Quick Links
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Thank you
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Upcoming Features
+ A Luminary Walk
+ Mail-Order Memorials
+ Third in a Series: The Landscape Lawn Gravescape
+ A ‘Walk Among the Shadows’
+ More about Medfield’s Other Art Gallery
+ A Walking Tour on Causes of Death in Early Medfield Citizens
+ A Walking Tour to Highlight Medfield’s Ethnic Diversity
+ Present Homeowners Meet Earlier Homeowners at the Cemetery
+ Higher Education Today, Vine Lake Cemetery, and the Ellis Family Legacy
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Upcoming Events – Winter & Spring 2012
March 1, Thursday, 7 to 9pm
Memorial Public Library, 468 Main Street, Medfield
March 5, Monday, 7:30 to 9pm
First Parish Unitarian Church, 26 North Street, Medfield
April 2, Monday, 7:30 to 9pm
First Parish Unitarian Church, 26 North Street, Medfield
More information to be posted in the March newsletter.
April 14, Saturday, 9am to 12 noon
Spring Cleaning
Bring your lawn rake for clean-up in the Old Section.
April 16, Monday (Patriots’ Day), 10am to 12 noon
Kick-off Event for the Self-Guided Walking Tour Map
More information to be posted in the March newsletter.
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Contact Information
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Funding for Vine Lake Preservation Trust is provided by individual contributions like yours, support from local agencies and corporations, matching funds and grants, and admission fees from tours and workshops. The Trust is registered with the IRS as a 501 (c)(3) public charity allowing your contribution to be tax-exempt.
Vine Lake Preservation Trust
P.O. Box 266
Medfield, MA 02052-0266
Website: www.vinelakepreservationtrust.org
Museums: Museums.USA |
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