Dartblog

Just twenty minutes south of campus in Hartland, Vermont, another legal battle is taking place. In Hartland, a 130 acre farm with mountain views and rolling meadows sits waiting for a new family to arive. Michel Guite signed an option to buy the farm in December on one condition: he wants to move a family graveyard on the property in order to build his house and barn.

The graveyard includes the three graves officially registered with the town: Noah Aldrich, a war of 1812 veteran who died on January 15, 1848 and two of his grandchildren who died in 1850. Historians say that others are buried in this graveyard as well, including Aldrich’s wife, and the parents of Jerome King of Hanover, N.H. who owned the farm until the 1980s. Relatives of the Kings still visit the graves several times a year.

Guite stated that he did not want to see a graveyard near where his children are playing, but his request to move the graveyard is insensitive. It is true that graveyards have an aura of sadness, but they also have great emotional significance and historical value. On 130 acres, I would suspect that there is more than one suitable location for a house and barn. While graveyards have occasionally been moved through eminent domain for public buildings, I hardly think that a man’s personal preference for the location of his house justifies such disrespect for the dead.

Bridgewater American Legion member Jim Bulmer also opposes the move. “You’ve got a veteran in there from the war of 1812, who has come to his final resting place and let the poor guy rest in peace. He served his country. Why do we need to move cemeteries to accommodate an individual who has a particular agenda?” said Bulmer. I could not agree more. While personal property rights are very important to me, I find the idea of disturbing graves for such a silly reason to be objectionable.

Historical graveyards are part of what makes this region of New England unique. In Southern California, cemeteries are very large and less personal, spread over sprawling hills filled with strangers from all around the area. Graveyards here, including the one on campus, are steeped in history and filled with people who once knew each other or who share a connection through the town and the land. I can only hope that Guite will reconsider and appreciate that this graveyard has sat on that spot for at least 160 years and is as much a part of that property as the trees and meadows he loves.