News & Notes
President ’ s Message
By Pamela Baird MVHA President
Looking for History ? Visit a cemetery !
Pamela Baird
On a recent trip to New York for my husband ’ s class reunion at West Point we stayed in Tarrytown . Whenever travel we usually arrive a day early so that we can see the local area .
This newsletter is published four times a year by the MOUNTAIN VIEW HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION P . O . Box 252 , Mountain View , CA 94042 www . mountainviewhistorical . org
MVHA Board of Directors
President : Pamela Baird Vice-President : Robert Cox Secretary : Jamil Shaikh Treasurer : Melissa Rusch Past President : Nicholas Perry Historical Data : Gill Lane Membership : Lisa Garcia Newsletter : John Cortez Director-at-Large : Carol Donahue Director-at-Large : IdaRose Sylvester Director-at-Large : Vacant
Newsletter Design & Layout by Nicholas Perry
MVHA Board of Directors Email : info @ mountainviewhistorical . org
On this trip we visited the cemetery at nearby Sleepy Hollow- burial site of the author and statesman Washington Irving . It was fun and educational to walk around . There are so many famous and infamous people buried there that a map and guide is published ( which only chronicles about 15 people ). As we walked around looking for gravesites , we learned about leaders in publishing , business , finance , philanthropy — many of whom we were not aware ( https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Sleepy _ Hollow _ Cemetery ).
In the oldest part of the cemetery there were graves from the 18th century ( including three children of Alexander Hamilton ) and a monument to Revolutionary soldiers . One gravestone caught my eye with its clever inscription- “ The boisterous winds and Neptune ’ s waves have tossed me to and fro . By God ’ s decree you plainly see I am harbored here below .”
At the top of the hill mausoleums built by wealthy families were constructed . These structures , although some are small , were carefully detailed and designed . A huge carved panel of a man sitting on an anvil ( what is that about ?) was a surprise . On the back were the details of the life of Henry Villard , a financier , completer of the Northern Pacific Railroad and early promoter of Civil Service reform . In reading more about him later I was impressed with all that he accomplished during his life ( https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Henry _ Villard ).
But obviously cemeteries are places of sadness and grief . Years ago , while visiting Lexington , MA , I walked around town and entered the nearby cemetery . One of gravestones from the late 18th century contained the names of ten children from one family . Buried over the course of twenty years , they had all died before the age of five . How could the parents survive such repeated tragedy ? It was a graphic reminder of how lucky we are to live in a world of good nutrition , modern medicine and advanced public infrastructure .
Visiting a cemetery is not ghoulish but a way to learn about history , health , wealth and one ’ s legacy as seen by those who will follow behind us .
— Pamela 2