The Emery Angel

Wednesday
It was a beautiful Fall day, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to go for a long walk around Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum - I hadn't been for about five months, and it is especially beautiful in the Fall. I took loads of photos, but I eventually decided to go with the Emery Angel for my blip. It was quite funny, as I had been stopped a bit further up the road, taking a photograph, and a lady (also with a camera) came up to me and asked me if I knew where the Emery angel was - she knew it was supposed to be in that general area but she couldnt find it. I thought I knew what she was talking about, as I remembered the name from the beautiful coffee table book I have on Spring Grove, but I had never found it myself, so I said I was sorry, but I couldnt help her. I continued walking down the road, and saw this wonderful tree off to the left, so I left the road and walked across to the tree, and as I approached the tree I caught sight of the angel beyond. Unfortunately I never did see the lady again to tell her I'd found it!

The angel has an interesting history. In 1898 Thomas and Mary Emery commisioned a baptismal font in memory of their sons, Sheldon and Albert. The bronze angel - originally holding an elaborate clamshell - served the congregation of Christ Church Cathedral until 1955, when the statue was moved to Spring Grove Cemetery. Thomas J. Emery and his family had built a fortune in candles, soap, chemicals, and real estate. Mary and Thomas were married in 1866, and had the two sons, Sheldon and Albert. While the family's holdings thrived, their personal life was marred by the tragic loss of Albert, who died in his teens as the result of a sledding accident, and Sheldon, who died from an infection in his low twenties. Mary was then widowed in 1906.
Mary Emery was determined to put the fortune left to her to good use. She continued several philanthropic projects begun in her husband's lifetime, and commenced many new projects. She generously supported the Cincinnati Zoo, was the impetus behind the creation of Children's Hospital, and donated an entire wing to the Cincinnati Art Museum to house the art she had collected and bequeathed to the museum. Her biggest undertaking, however, was the creation of the "model town" of Mariemont. Appalled by the unsanitary housing conditions in downtown Cincinnati, she used her vast fortune to create a "national exemplar", which would be planned in every detail to provide its residents with a high quality of life. Mrs. Emery and her business manager hired John Nolen, an internationally known town planner. He developed the plan for the Village of Mariemont, which was named after Mary Emery's summer home in Rhode Island. Mariemont is one of relatively few planned communities in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2007. It is a lovely community, having the feel of an English village or small town.

For more shots from my beautiful walk, please check out my Smugmug gallery