On a recent tour of Northampton’s Bridge Street Cemetery I was interested to learn some of the fascinating stories of those who are buried there. What was disappointing however, was the state of the cemetery’s receiving vault — receiving vaults are those structures built in many old cemeteries to hold the bodies of those who died in the winter until the ground thawed in spring and a grave could be dug. In Northampton’s Bridge Street Cemetery the vault is located on the east side of the cemetery, along Bridge Street, and is in a sad state. It appears someone has been gardening on it. The turf covering the vault is torn up and old logs and rocks have been brought in to create terracing. Weedy growth and large dead grasses have taken over where turf once was. The logs are rotting. The soil is eroding. I’m not sure why someone was allowed to garden in the cemetery, but it looks terrible and completely out of place.
The vault was designed by its 19th century builders to have a specific look consistent with their view of the appropriate atmosphere for a cemetery. It has lost that. In other public spaces change occurs, but in cemeteries we work to keep their original look and feel as a tribute to those who have come before us. It’s a small thing, but small things in their aggregate can have a cumulative effect and thus impact the quality of life in the city we all love. The Bridge Street vault really needs to be restored to its original appearance.
Robert Dickerman
Haydenville