Silent Cities: The Evolution of the American Cemetery

Silent Cities traces the development of American burial grounds from colonial times through the present, examining how cemetery designs and customs reflect broader cultural shifts. The book pairs scholarly analysis with over 400 photographs documenting graveyards across the United States. Jackson chronicles the transition from crowded churchyards to rural cemeteries, and later to lawn-park and memorial park models. The text explores how factors like urbanization, public health concerns, and changing attitudes toward death shaped these evolving burial landscapes. Each chapter focuses on a distinct period in cemetery evolution, incorporating primary sources, architectural plans, and documentation of funerary art. The work examines both famous memorial grounds like Mount Auburn Cemetery and lesser-known local burial places that exemplify American burial traditions. Through its examination of burial practices and spaces, Silent Cities reveals fundamental changes in American attitudes about mortality, community, and the relationship between the living and the dead.

This book appears to have limited reader reviews online. The few available reviews note the high quality photography and documentation of cemetery architectural styles across different time periods and regions. Readers liked: - Historic photographs showing cemetery design evolution - Clear explanations of burial customs and trends - Coverage of both famous and lesser-known American cemeteries - Detailed architectural descriptions Readers disliked: - High price point - Limited availability (book is out of print) - Some wanted more analysis of modern cemetery practices Available Ratings: Goodreads: 3.67/5 (3 ratings, 0 written reviews) Amazon: No customer reviews available WorldCat: No reader reviews available Note: This book lacks substantial online reader feedback, likely due to being published in 1989 and focusing on a specialized topic. Most discussion appears in academic contexts rather than consumer reviews.

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🌳 Prior to the 1830s, most American burials took place in churchyards or on family farms. The creation of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1831 revolutionized American burial practices by introducing the concept of the "rural cemetery." ⚰️ Author Kenneth T. Jackson is a prominent urban historian who served as President of the New-York Historical Society and edited the acclaimed Encyclopedia of New York City. He has been teaching at Columbia University since 1968. 🏺 The book explores how American cemeteries shifted from utilitarian burial grounds to elaborately designed landscapes that doubled as public parks and cultural institutions in the 19th century. 🗽 Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, founded in 1838, became such a popular tourist destination that by 1860 it attracted over 500,000 visitors annually - second only to Niagara Falls as America's greatest tourist attraction. 🎨 The rural cemetery movement influenced the development of America's public parks, with Frederick Law Olmsted's design for Central Park drawing direct inspiration from these peaceful, naturalistic burial grounds.