The "Historic Elmwood Cemetery" Series
A Collection of Work dedicated to preserving the "Testimony of the Rocks"
Representative Gallery
Ink Pen of Ash Burl from Elmwood Cemetery; shown in Black Titanium w/ Platinum accent - see "Unique Gifts Under $50" for details and the "update" below on the exciting new Ash Burl Series; more finished work to come in 2018
This piece - "Elmwood Cemetery No. 027" (alternatively titled "Life Cycle/Death Cycle") - was my meditation upon the fate of the lovely Ash Tree wrought by the deadly Emerald Ash Borer. Basically, I purposefully left the major evidence of the super pest on the piece, including the "D-shaped" exit holes and serpentine larval "galleries." The piece makes me sad, but there is a silver lining; in July 2018 the piece was purchased by a friend of Two Rivers Turnings and I immediately forwarded the entirety of the proceeds to the Elmwood Cemetery Association (see below) as a way of saying "thanks" to that body for allowing me the privilege of harvesting wood at the Cemetery. There will be lots of Ash pieces to come out of Elmwood Cemetery in the months to come, and that warms my heart...
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About Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery was officially chartered in 1869 on land purchased incrementally over time, but the oldest part of the Cemetery dates to the 1780 conveyence of one acre to the Elders of the Presbyterian Church by Abraham Shepherd. The earliest grave dates to 1793 and marks the final resting place of Mrs. Sarah Morrow, the mother of James Rumsey's second wife, Mary. Elmwood contains the gravesites of two veterans of the American Revolution, and many other veterans of American wars, including many Civil War combatants. Indeed, on a portion of the Cemetery adjacent to the Methodist Church acquired by the Southern Soldiers Memorial Association in 1868 for Confederate soldiers who died or were mortally wounded at Antietam, are interred the remains of at least 114 such men, many of their identities unknown. One Confederate veteran buried at Elmwood Cemetery is Dr. Joseph McMurran, the first President of Shepherd College. The Lodge House, the residence for the groundskeeper, was built in 1870.
Today, Elmwood Cemetery is operated by a volunteer Board of Directors (see below), who are entrusted with the protection and preservation of this hallowed place, which includes the laborious (and costly) repair of damaged or fallen headstones and, of great significance to me, an ongoing effort to care for the many beautiful trees and shrubs that grace the Cemetery grounds. In July, 2014, a severe storm split the Sugar Maple Tree pictured at right and a very large limb crashed into the Confederate Cemetery, mercifully knocking over only two headstones. Thus, with the gracious consent of the Directors of the Elmwood Cemetery Association, Inc. (see below), this series commemorating a truly special and serene place was begun. |
2017 Update: An Exciting Opportunity To Work With New Wood!
Unfortunately, Elmwood Cemetery's stately Ash Trees could not escape the ravages of the Emerald Ash Borer. On the positive side of the ledger however, is the availability of some sweet burl wood on the largest Ash to be removed from the site (see below). The rest of the tree will be removed in late July, 2017, and I will be harvesting those burls with visions of unique finished pieces dancing in my head...
2018 "Big Burl" Harvest
Supporting The Elmwood Cemetery Association, Inc.
Elmwood Cemetery is operated by an all-volunteer Board of Directors. In its earlier days, the sale of burial lots was deemed sufficient to cover Cemetery maintenance and other costs, but with all of the original lots sold, even the sale of newer section lots does not provide sufficient income to cover such expenses as mowing, snow removal, repair and maintenance of the caretaker's house, etc. Two Rivers Turnings is pleased to announce that beginning in 2018 select pieces from the Ash Burl series will be donated to the Association for fund-raising purposes to help defray these costs. See the Elmwood Cemetery Association website to learn more and find out how you can help keep this historic and important place of the past beautiful and vital into the future.