Many have equated the Rural Cemetery Movement of the Victorian Period with that of the developing Garden concept that was central to landscape design in vogue at this time. Trained botanists and landscapers became the chosen few that would become known as landscape architects who applied their landscaping skills to a much more specified task leading to the transformation from “an enclosed space,” the garden, to a “cultivated space especially cared for,” namely, the cemetery. This latter space would embrace the blending of the “idea of rest, beauty, memory, faith, and hope.” The most recognized designers of cemetery landscapes in the United States during the nineteenth century include: Frederick Law Olmstead, “Father of American Landscape”; John Notman; Calvert Vaux; and Charles Wellford Leavitt. These men were responsible for laying out the designs of some of our nation’s best examples of the “garden” type cemeteries that have become magnets of interest, beauty, and necropolises to serve as final resting places for the deceased members of our culture. The focus of this paper will underscore the facts related to the contributions made by William Saunders, another prominent cemetery landscape architect. This richly illustrated presentation will provide an evidence-supported examination supporting the notion that Saunders has been much underrated and deserves greater recognition as a leader in the field of cemetery landscape design.
About the presenterJ. Joseph Edgette
This member is deceased. Receiving his Ph.D. in Folklore from the University of Pennsylvania Dr. Edgette was Professor Emeritus and Folklorist Emeritus, Widener University, Chester, PA. and Co-chair of Death in American Culture Area of MAPACA and Chair of the Cemeteries and Gravemarkers Area of the American Culture Association. Former Vice-Chair of the Woodlawn Cemetery Conservancy, Bronx, NY., he most recently served as President of the Riverview Conservancy, Trenton, NJ.