Friday

I took a little road trip to Carlisle. I was told it was my responsibility to arrange for a headstone for my great aunt’s grave. Hmm. Not sure of the reasoning that led to that conclusion but okay, I chose to deal with it.

Before heading off to the marker making folks I had a little wander around the cemetery. It’s the Old Graveyard, owned by the town, full of all sorts of history. I went to see what was there, stone-wise, as I wanted Irva’s to blend in. She was like that in life, blending in, so I thought she’d be most comfortable being the same in death.

What I found when I reached her plot hurt. A tremendous lot. She died in January. There has been no grass planted. The graves of her grandparents, who are beside her, are untended, covered in poison ivy and weeds. Had I known, I would have ventured there sooner and spread some grass seeds myself. Not much I can do about the poison. I get it just by standing in a breeze that has blown over it.

This place is old. Very old. And, with how it’s arranged, I suspect very tedious to tend. Lots of gated areas, raised areas, and old, delicate stones. But it is tended. Or parts of it are. Molly Pitcher. The PA Supreme Court justices. You know, the “important” people. Perhaps my ancestors aren’t as noteworthy as some but we do have a bit of history to us. Irva’s grandmother was the daughter of Brigadier General William Irvine. Before he joined the war effort, he was a doctor in Carlisle. A tidbit of history - Mary Ludwig Hays, better known as Molly Pitcher, actually worked for him. Her husband was part of his regiment.

So then I went to the monument place. It turns out the man running the place was a student of Irva’s. Many, many, many years ago. Yeah, chatting with him was very difficult but I managed. Mission accomplished. Perhaps when I go back to see the stone in place things will be in better shape than they were this trip. Maybe, if I’m not as upset as I was Friday I’ll do some wandering around town and take some more pictures for you. Dickinson Law College, now part of Penn State, is in the center of town and is gorgeous.

Carlisle is a very pretty place. If you’ve never been there you should go sometime. If you visit the cemetery stop by and say hello to Irva. She always adored meeting new people.