Friday, June 26, 2009

Something to Brag About?

I happened across this fine monument while looking for the old cemetery in Hadley, MA. It stands in the front yard of a cute little house on a lovely little street.
I suppose if someone famous had been born in my house, I wouldn't mind a sign commemorating the event. But a 2-ton quartz boulder for Joseph Hooker? I didn't think anyone liked him that much.

Someone spent good money on this.

Hadley, MA
near corner of West St. and Cemetery Rd.

2 comments:

Robert J. said...

When I was a kid I had an elderly great-aunt who lived in a little yellow house in West Cambridge. It was a dark place inside, with heavy old furniture and lamps with fringed shades. But I remember that one of the books on the shelf was a souvenir dedicatory volume "The Equestrian Statue of Major General Joseph Hooker." It had plates of the general and his statue, lists of all the politicians who gave speeches at the dedication, and all sorts of similar stuff. Quite a fancy volume. I don't know whatever happened to it.

That may have been where I first learned about the supposed death-code built into equestrian statues; or it may not.

Caitlin GD Hopkins said...

The hoof rule used to work at Gettysburg — I remember my mom telling us about the code on our annual visits. Unfortunately, no one told the people who erected the awful Longstreet equestrian statue. Not only does the figure look more like Tom Berenger riding a carousel pony than Longstreet riding a full-grown horse, it also breaks the streak by having one raised hoof.