Recent Events and Features What’s New September 2023

Last Chance to see JST exhibit!

“History Under One Roof: The Evolution of the Josiah Smith Tavern” will be open two more times this fall:

• Saturday, October 14, Community Open House on Pumpkin Festival Day, 11 to 2.
• Sunday, November 5, Community Open House, 11 to 2.

The exhibit will be closing and the historical society will be moving its reading room and office into the space. For the last four years, the WHS collection has been stored at St. Julia Church in the basement of the sanctuary. Volunteers work there on Tuesday mornings, cataloguing and organizing photos, maps, books, documents, memorabilia, and objects. The photo and archival files, map cases, and books will be moved to the Josiah Smith Tavern, while other items not used as often will stay in storage at St. Julia’s.

Weston Historical Society is deeply grateful to St. Julia Parish, Weston and Lincoln for providing critically needed space that has allowed the society to function during the JST restoration.

Weston historian Pam Fox will lead tour of Weston’s Earliest Cemeteries

Just in time for Halloween, on Sunday, October 29, Pam Fox, president of Weston Historical Society, will lead a tour of Farmers’ Burial Ground and Central Cemetery, co-sponsored by the Golden Ball Tavern Museum (GBT).  The event will begin with refreshments at 2 pm at the Golden Ball Tavern, followed by a walk to Farmers’ and then to Central.

The first recorded burial at Farmers’ was Ensign John Warren, who died in 1703, ten years before the Town of Weston was incorporated.  Many of the early settlers buried here are important to the history of the town. Farmers’ is also notable for its gravestones, some by noted carvers. Up until 1750, an estimated 90% of New England grave markers displayed winged skulls, emphasizing the mortality of man. These were gradually replaced by winged cherubs, symbolizing the flight of the soul and a more optimistic view of the hereafter. At the end of the 18th century, the cherub image gave way to the willow and urn motif, derived from classical antiquity, emphasizing mourning and the sadness of those left behind. The willow and urn motif was often accompanied by a change in the shape of the gravestones.  

Central Cemetery, established in 1792, is very different in character. Unlike at Farmers’, where most gravestones are made of slate and face east, markers at Central vary in size, materials, and orientation and include handsome marble and granite monuments. Many family plots are defined by granite curbing. The wrought iron Merriam Gate, added in 1937, provides a distinctive pedestrian entrance. When visiting Central, look for symbols, each of which has special meaning. For example, death is linked symbolically to autumn and harvest; hence the wheat sheaves, sickle, and scythe motifs. Fox will point out the meaning of common symbols such as oak leaves, ivy, wreaths, roses, lilies, and ferns. Both Farmers and Central have been carefully restored in recent years using Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds.

Informational brochures on Farmers’ and Central will be available on tour day and can also be picked up at Weston Public Library and Weston Town Hall. These were written by Pam Fox, designed by Gabriella Nunes of Conventures Inc, and printed by the Weston Historical Commission for May 2023 Celebrate Weston. The brochures can also be viewed as PDFs online: Farmers’ Burial Ground, Central Cemetery.