Mt. Hope is the subject of my cemetery of the day. I love Mt. Hope. It is a lovely garden cemetery in Bangor, Maine (the town made famous by Stephen King just because he lives there--when he's not in Florida). It was established in 1834 and is the second garden style cemetery in America. It consists of 300 acres of rolling hills, beautiful trees, ponds and just plain loveliness.
In 2004, my husband and I traveled to New England. One of my dreams had been to go to Maine. Ever since reading my first Stephen King book (Firestarter; I was in sixth grade), I wanted to go to Maine. I wanted to live in Maine. I hadn't even been there, and I knew it would be magnificent. And it is. It was a long time coming. We drove from Boston to Bangor, and let me just say that Maine is a really big state. It's as long as Illinois, and that's long. But it was worth the trip. Not only did we get to stand in front of Stephen King's house (I wasn't stalking you really, Mr. King), we also found Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Not only is Mt. Hope historical and beautiful, which are the two things that bring me to cemeteries, it was also featured in the movie Pet Sematary, based on the King book. The horror-meister also appeared in the movie.
I wandered the grounds as much as I could, taking pictures of everything. But there was so much. So much I wanted to see and still do. I saw incredible sculpture, white bronze, modern military memorials, tiny simple markers, and the little metal markers that the cemetery uses until a stone can be placed (but this one dated back many decades).
If you are ever near this cemetery, do not miss the chance to visit. It is indeed worth the time. and you'll want to take a lot of time there.
To learn more about Maine's Mt. Hope, please visit: http://www.mthopebgr.com/
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