by Chelsea Dill

The lights dimmed in the Chocksett Middle School theater on September 19. A woman dressed in black with flowing red hair stepped out of the shadows in the corner and stood center stage. Something appeared behind her. In a flash, the image of a gravestone formed like an apparition on the screen that hung from the ceiling. Brenda Sullivan, one third of the trio known as the “Gravestone Girls,” began a slideshow presentation about gravestone symbolism, using examples from real gravestones in the historic cemeteries located in Sterling. The goal of the event, sponsored by Conant Public Library, was to enrich the intrinsic value of Sterling’s six historic cemeteries. The oldest, Legg cemetery, dates back to 1725, shortly followed by Chocksett cemetery at 1736.

Based in Worcester, the Gravestone Girls’ mission is to “Keep our Dead Alive” by reproducing the decorative artwork on old New England gravestones. The trio of women also teach gravestone rubbing classes and pride themselves on creating replicas of the etchings with safe techniques that preserve the original stone. “Gravestone rubbings serve to make a document of that stone in time,” says Sullivan. She grew up in Southborough and learned to rub gravestones as a child, eventually finding favorite gravestone designs of which she safely made replicas. “Nothing says Merry Christmas or Happy Birthday like a gravestone,” Sullivan says of her family’s and friends’ reactions to her newfound passion. Sullivan also showed the audience small casts of gravestone images that she designed as small pieces of artwork. Gravestone Girls’ rubbings and casts decorate homes and gardens in wall hangings, jewelry, magnets, clocks, and other collectibles.

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On stage, Sullivan speaks about lore and ancient beliefs surrounding death, beginning with ancient Egyptian burial ceremonies. She connects it to American Colonial history as she provides examples from the icons on Sterling cemetery gravestones. The pictorial virtual tour highlights the symbols of the winged skull. This prevalent Colonial symbol represented the failure of the physical bodily flesh, leaving the skeletal remains, while the wings allow the soul to take flight. “They were literal, religious, and superstitious,” Sullivan says of the belief system in 17th  and 18th-century life.

Sullivan also explains the evolution of symbols on the graves. A heart replaced the winged skull and the icons became easier to interpret. One standout symbol represented human life as a broken tree under a hand coming from the clouds, wielding an axe. In this image, the abruptness of human life is understood without an epitaph. Some graves even list the years, months, and days of a person’s life in order to account for all of the Puritanical good days they lived.

Centuries of life and death have come through Sterling. With the Gravestone Girls’ mission to preserve the past’s gravestone artwork, the next time you pass a cemetery, take a look at the icons as a piece of history. With that in mind, maybe cemeteries aren’t so spooky after all.

Photo by Chelsea Dill:  The Gravestone Girls artwork based upon historic gravestone rubbing.