Cedar Hill's 2007 Tours and Events Season is over. We appreciate everyone who came out to support us and partake in the various events, including Jay Kaplan's Bird Walk, Ed Richardson's Tree Tour, Kandie Carle's Victorian Lady, Ruth Brown's Symbolism Tour, Grace Park Mitchell's Exceptional Women Tour, and Steve Courtney's Twain's Companians and Cohorts Tour. We also want to thank all our volunteers who contributed to making this year a success.

While the tours and events season is over, the Foundation is hosting Colt's Home for the Holidays: A Cedar Hill Affair at Armsmear on Saturday, December 1st from 5:00pm until 8:00pm. Tickets for this unique event are $125 per person and proceeds will support the restoration of the Colt memorial at Hartford's historic Cedar Hill Cemetery. We hope you will join us.

Again, thank you for another wonderful season, and we look forward to seeing you at Cedar Hill soon.

Cedar Hill's Trees are Electric

The Foundation received a call this morning from one of its treasured supporters. He doesn't live in the immediate area but is planning his next visit. He wanted to know if Cedar Hill was in its full autumnal glory. As we talked about the beauty of Cedar Hill in the fall, he said, "The trees are electric. It's almost like they are plugged in." This was a wonderful way to describe the magnificent beauty of Cedar Hill's trees and landscape this time of year. We encourage you to come see this for yourself. With winter quickly approaching, the trees will soon be "unplugged."

What's New?

It's hard to believe that August is already here. With summer half over, Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation is preparing for the arrival of fall with several projects in place. The first project is the restoration of the Oswin Welles memorial on Section 1. Erected in 1873 and designed by 19th century sculptor Carl Conrads, the monument is in desperate need of restoration. ConservArt, a monument restoration company located in Hamden, Connecticut, will be providing the restoration services for the Welles memorial. The Foundation has received financial support from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism's Historic Preservation Fund to assist with the cost of the work. Unrestricted donations to the Foundation will be used to cover the remaining costs.

Within the next week, Cedar Hill's entryway gates will be removed to undergo restoration work as well. For nearly 120 years, the gates have welcomed residents and visitors to the Cemetery's grounds. They are the Cemetery's most distinctive feature and symbolize Cedar Hill's commitment to caring for and protecting all who pass through. By restoring the entryway gates, Cedar Hill benefits from being able to preserve a piece of Hartford's architectural history and the community benefits from a beautiful, well-kept sanctuary to remember loved ones and tour the grounds. The Foundation has received several individual donations as well as support from the Ensworth Charitable Foundation to restore the gates, however, we are still actively fund raising for this costly project and welcome your support.

Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation, in cooperation with Wesleyan University Press, has published its first book, Jacob Weidenmann, Pioneer Landscape Architect. Written by Professor Emeritus, Rudy J. Favretti, University of Connecticut, this book shares the life and accomplishments of landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann. Weidenmann designed Cedar Hill Cemetery's landscape, served as Cedar Hill's first superintendent, and now resides at Cedar Hill Cemetery for eternity. Books will be available for purchase in September but can be reserved now by contacting Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation.

In addition to these projects, Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation has several tours and events coming in the near future. You can find the complete listing in the scroll bar on the right. We hope to see you there!