Legacy MattersMillions of tourists have walked through the tombstones of the Old Granary Burying Ground in Boston where lie the remains of Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Crispus Attucks and Mother Goose.
Only one, fell through the ground.
In January, a woman on a self-guided tour of the hallowed cemetery in downtown Boston took a fateful step. The ground gave way, and the woman fell hip-deep into a hidden granite stairwell leading down into an unmarked brick crypt.
The woman, who was not injured, accidentally discovered a long-forgotten entrance to a tomb in the city's most famous graveyard, less than 10 yards from the stone marking the resting place of Paul Revere. It served as a reminder that in Boston, the nation's revolutionary roots are literally underfoot.
--
The techniques used to fix the problems can be as old as the cemeteries. Heavy machinery cannot be lugged onto the fragile earth, so excavating must be done with shovels. That means frozen ground can delay repairs.
Contractors who specialize in historic masonry do their best to shore up the structures from the outside so they do not disturb the graves.
"You end up really caring for the people," Thomas said. "It's really strange. You don't know them, they've been dead for hundreds of years, but still."