Remembering When Americans Picnicked in Cemeteries - Gastro Obscura

Within the iron-wrought walls of American cemeteries—beneath the shade of oak trees and tombs’ stoic penumbras—you could say many people “rest in peace.” However, not so long ago, people of the still-breathing sort gathered in graveyards to rest, and dine, in peace. During the 19th century, and especially in its later years, snacking in cemeteries happened across the United States. It wasn’t just apple-munching alongside the winding avenues of graveyards. Since many municipalities still lacked proper recreational areas, many people had full-blown picnics in their local cemeteries. The tombstone-laden fields were the closest things, then, to modern-day public parks....Death was a constant visitor for many families, and in cemeteries, people could “talk” and break bread with family and friends, both living and deceased...Death was a constant visitor for many families, and in cemeteries, people could “talk” and break bread with family and friends, both living and deceased. “We are going to keep Thanksgivin’ with our father as [though he] was live and hearty this day last year,” explained a young man, in 1884, on why his family—mother, brothers, sisters—chose to eat in the cemetery. “We’ve brought somethin’ to eat and a spirit-lamp to boil coffee.”

Remembering When Americans Picnicked in Cemeteries - Gastro Obscura: