Historic Context and Handbook for the Identification and Evaluation of Georgia’s Burial Grounds
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2019-03-01
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Edition:Final; June 2013 – March 2019 (Released August 2023)
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Abstract:Although we choose to mourn our dead in differing manners, all human cultures share a desire to handle death and the bodies of those who have died in what they consider to be a respectful, culturally appropriate, manner. Many factors influence these choices, such as religion, politics, environment, history, and ethnicity. Each choice has the potential to provide a window into the wider values of a society or culture. Cremation and burial traditions can illuminate loftier views of spirituality or the afterlife, and they can also reflect the more down to earth concerns of economics, city planning, or adherence to expected social norms. They can highlight the importance of kin and community, or they can shine a light on how society seeks to exclude certain members from full and equal membership. Cemeteries provide a tangible place to answer broader cultural questions. This handbook provides tools for assessing the historical significance of Georgia's burial grounds within a three-part structure. Section One, the narrative, is presented both chronologically and topically and was authored by a number of individuals to widen its perspective. Section Two is a literal toolkit that furnishes a common vocabulary for describing cemetery features, types, plans, and styles, as well as discussing cemetery survey methods. Finally, Section Three offers a framework for evaluating historical significance and determining eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. All of Georgia's cemeteries contain stories and each is a special place to those whose loved ones are buried there. Some of these cemeteries, however, have the potential to tell a broader story of their community, the state, or a people. This context serves as guidance for preservation professionals to aid them in finding those burial places that can best serve as windows to those buried within, as well as the societies, communities, or families that created them.
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