Modernization
In 1946, Monsignor Edward A. Clark, the longest-serving rector of the cathedral, entered into discussion with Ray F. Wyrick, at that time the country’s only professional cemetery landscape engineer, concerning the tired appearance of the Old Cemetery and the need to expand the New. Wyrick suggested several sweeping changes which, once they were adopted, made Saint Joseph Cemetery a regional model.
The cemetery’s roads had all been designed for access by horse and carriage. Wyrick was among the first to see the need for wider roads with expansive curves that could be successfully rounded by motor vehicles with a wider turning radius. His influence in this matter can be seen in sections 2, 3 4, and 8 and in the Memorial Garden bearing Monsignor Clark’s name.
Wyrick also foresaw the need to end individual and annual care plans. A cemetery’s success in maintaining its beauty depends on its ability to sell lots. Beauty is hard to maintain if fewer than 30% of all lots are under Perpetual Care contracts. Family lots of the 19th century were often left untended for months or years at a time. At his suggestion, Saint Joseph Cemetery made Perpetual Care a requirement in 1954. At this time, it also ended the practice of walling or fencing individual lots to allow for mechanized mowing.
Read more about this topic: St. Joseph Cemetery (Manchester, New Hampshire)