September 8, 2021

Progress Report on Mt. Jacob Cemetery

The time has finally come to expand our little cemetery on Fernald Street. Chair Mark Farber and Vice Chair Arley Pett asked Andy and me to spearhead that expansion. Having had a Design/Build company in our previous life before Gloucester, we have experience developing land in a way that honors the landscape. 

The existing cemetery, nestled in a hollow, was established in 1904. An adjacent parcel, to the right and up the hill, was generously donated to TAA by an abutting neighbor in 1945. Measuring just under an acre, it’s steep, wooded and stippled with rock outcroppings. There is a foundation of granite ledge lying just below the surface. One could barely find a piece of land less suited for burial.

In order to achieve the five feet of earth covering necessary for a traditional casket burial, we have to remove some of the ledge and fill with dirt. Terraces must be created to level the land and stone walls built to retain the soil. 

After months of interviewing the various outfits necessary to get the job done, we hired a terrific team. Plans were drawn and approved, trees cut, stumps pulled, dirt fill spread, and land shifted. Dave Araneo is working his magic with machinery and vision. 

Development of this adjacent acre greatly expands the existing capacity of our cemetery. The lay of the land determined the layout of five separate areas, each delineated by elevation and retaining walls. 

The new upper area and the original lower area will be connected by a gently curving stone stairway and also a paved road, with a small parking area and turn-around at the top. In addition, we are making a few necessary improvements to the original area, such as shoring up the entrance wall and adding a turn-around just in front of it. 

There are a few areas where the granite ledge is simply too extensive (and expensive) to remove. We cannot reach the depth required for a traditional casket burial. This led us to explore alternative burial practices that are accepted by both Jewish law and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

Natural Burial is a moniker used for a developing trend towards a more ecological interment. (Green Burial is a specific form of this, with strict rules forbidding the planting of lawn, the use of markers, etc.) 

As it happens, Natural Burial is very much in line with traditional Israeli practice. The body is wrapped in a shroud and lowered on a perforated platform into an earth opening that is about four feet deep, which may be lined with straw, sea grass, etc. While any area of our cemetery will accommodate a Natural Burial, there may be at least one area designated specifically as such.  

For those of us of a certain age, plans regarding burial become less theoretical. We have scheduled a zoom conversation on Monday, October 25th at 7:30 PM to hear your thoughts, feelings and questions regarding any of the issues touched upon here. 

Respectfully,

Peggy Cullen Matlow

Andy Matlow, Mark Farber, and Arley Pett