The Harvard Shaker Cemetery

The core of this paper is a systematic exploration of burying order in the Harvard Shaker cemetery. At issue is whether Shaker burial placement shows a pattern of social arrangements. Supplementing this analysis are the history of the cast metal marker as a practical solution to the general need for restoration in Shaker cemeteries, the story of one sister’s determination to clean up and keep order in the Harvard cemetery, and an account of the disappearing Shaker cemeteries of the twentieth century. Together these elements provide the context for understanding how the Harvard Shaker cemetery became the unique and extraordinary place it is today