Ashes to ashes, dust to dust: is there any future for cemeteries?
USA Today Magazine › Vol. 124 Nbr. 2608, January 1996
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Summary
The cemetery is an institution that originated in Western Europe and became a park-like attraction in the US. But just as cities have been abandoned, cemeteries have become less popular, and like condominiums in cities, columbariums housing cremated remains have become a more popular option.
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Ashes to ashes, dust to dust: is there any future for cemeteries?
Every anthropologist knows that burial customs are a rich source of information about past cultures, just as archaeologists mine the ruins of cities for physical evidence of distant civilizations. The cities of the dead and the cities of the living hold up a mirror to society's attitudes and desires.
The cemetery, like the city, originally was imported to America from Western Europe, more specifically from England, and brought with it the values of the founding community. There essentially were two cultures represented: the Puritan in the northern colonies; the Anglican and aristocratic in the southern colonies. The Puritan strictures against ornament worked w...See the full content of this document
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