We were treated to an excellent presentation this evening by Glenn Knoblock, an historian who has been mulling about old burial sites in New Hampshire for the past 25 years, uncovering the mysteries of who made certain gravestones by doing comparative studies. In considering the evolving symbolism present on many early stones, he tied in Calvinistic principles, Puritan thinking and sectarian thought. The symbols are there for those who know how to read them.
The speaker, who has written books on this topic, mentioned the engraved “curtains” on one stone, noting the theater expression, “It’s curtains for him,” and stating that Shakepeare also used this imagery of curtains for Death, the final “call.” This is just one example of the insights that the presenter brought to the subject. The lecture was riveting and flawless, as one after the other, slides were projected onto the white wall of the large room where the Loudon (NH) Historical Society customarily meets.
In most cases, he knew the stone engraver’s name by virtue of his style. Some home-carved stones that looked really rustic, but a labor of love to be appreciated in their simplicity and crudeness, were charming. One of those was lovingly-chiseled for a 7 day old child.
Knoblock had done his homework in the town of Loudon, ahead of time, and had some concrete suggestions for the members of that town whom he hopes will get together to clean the lichen off of some of the more porous old stones. A nylon brush and plain water will work well, although it may take a lot of elbow grease and patience. Not all stones are candidates for cleaning, particularly if they are cracked.
This was a very enriching experience! I really did learn a lot and I appreciate all of the historical connections that this speaker brought to this consideration of old gravestones and monuments. The dates of the stones in New Hampshire ranged from 1690 to 1820, or so it seems. The lecture was made possible by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
