Tombstone Tuesday -- Cathedral of the Pines, Rindge, New Hampshire

Visiting the Cathedral of the Pines recently was certainly worth the excessively long wait.  I have known about this site for what seems to be a hundred years, it is only a little over an hour from my house, and at last I made the trip.  What I didn't know was that it is simply a beautiful place with a cemetery, actually several small cemeteries (for cremations only), many memorials, and a long garden walkway.  Of course I loved that.

When I worked at The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), I was well aware that the President General made an annual pilgrimage from Washington, D.C. to Rindge, New Hampshire every August to visit this site. In a few months it will be their 62nd trip;  the Cathedral of the Pines is 65 years old.

Once home, I immediately checked out Find-A-Grave to see if the cemetery is listed there. Two things surprised me, first there are now 46 million entries to F-A-G, the amount is going up rapidly, and second, there is only one burial listed for this cemetery, and it is for an amazing person.  I believe you might enjoy reading about this person, see site above.

From their web page and brochure are the following statements:

"The Cathedral of the Pines is a breathtaking open-air cathedral and meeting space on 236 acres. Our historic monuments honor the service of American men and women—both military and civilian."

"Prior to December 2008, the sanctuary at Cathedral of the Pines had about 200 pine trees that stood approximately 80 feet tall. Most of the trees were over a hundred years old and had been weakened by age and harsh weather conditions on the hilltop, and some of the trees were diseased.

When the December 2008 ice storm hit the Monadnock region, the worst ice storm in New Hampshire history, it was devastating to our majestic crop of pines that had graced the sanctuary since its founding 65 years ago."  Yes, 200 trees were destroyed.

Nature also affected this site back in 1938 when a hurricane changed the landscape. At that time, the present owners had no idea a mountain range could be seen from that spot, but with the felled trees, it was decided it would make a lovely spot for a sanctuary for the family.  It is a perfect place for weddings, burials, listening to lectures, meditating, attending a service or strolling the grounds.