Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-06-18
To Crown the Hill Top.

gem city of the Kennebec and. as many
visitors agree, the most beautiful city
of the State, prosperous in business,
having q large and increasing trade,
successful in manufacturing. growing
in population, with a most elegant as
well as impressive capitol building
nearing the completion of the altera-
tions and extensions, fortunate in the
possession of the homes of large cap
italists and wealthy men, the center
of refinement, learning, ability. states
manship and culture, Is city OF
which not only it's residents but all
the people of Maine are proud.
And vet. envied for advantages, sue
cess, prosperity and promising future
Augusta seems lacking, to many VINO
come to this city to admire, in the one
great and important respect of being
abreast many other of its sister cues
of New England, in caring for It's cites
Of the dead. The adornment of ceme-
teries. the conversion of graveyards in
to attractive localities, beautified with
many beds of flowers. winding walks.
shrubbery, woodland parks, sunken
gardens, rockeries, fountains and the
other embellishments of tasteful land
scape gardening, should progress as
civilization progresses in every pros
perOus community. We 90 not mean
to say that the cemeteries of Augusta
are not neatly kept, for visits thereto
impress the observer of good care ana
honest work in looking out FOR the
grounds By the their managers be-
slowed Indeed, in Forest Grove, the
priva.e corporation cemetery OF Au-
gusta, quite extensive filling IN, lay
ing out of walks. planting of hand
some beds of flowers. may BE- OBJ
served In all the cemeteries of Au-
gusta large expenditures, totallmg
enormous sums of money, have been
invested in marble and granite mono
The location of Augustus principal
cemeteries, having been hamrered by
the hill sides, have not been favorable
perhaps to landscape gardening and
other up-to-date improvements in
cemetery work
But it seems that now Augusta has
a salaried official as superintendent
and has an opportunity, in the pur-
chase of the Leonard farm on the top
of the hill beyond the older part Of
Mt. Pleasant cemetery, which farm
contains twelve acres of pasture,
woodland and field, there is opportunity
afforded in producing such landscape
designs, work and effects as may give
the capital city of Maine a beautiful
home of the dead which shall more
favorably compare with the elegant
city of the living on the banks of the
Kennebec down below. 1t seems to
many citizens with whom we have
conversed that it is desirable to i'm
mediately begin to improve this land
both for the purpose Of beautifying
the cemetery and incidentally the city
of Augusta. and for the quite necessary
object of providing burial lots which
year after year are growing in de-
mand and that this enterprise may be
accomplished successfully ana most
wisely that it is desirable to have some
landscape artist, preferably one ac-
custOmed to cemetery work. make
plans for the improvement Of his ad-
ditiOn. With such plans accepted by
the city officials and by the cypendi-
ture of a small amount Of money by
the city each year, in the course of
the next ten or fifteen years it will be
surprising how beautiful a park will
crown the summit of the hill which
Augustus dead but delight to all
of our citizens And it will be found
as these cemeteries are beautited and
improved, that there will come to all
of our citizens "a leSSened fear of
death and the dispelling of much of
that gloom now attached to the usual
graveyard call