Situated by the Yantic River in Norwich, Connecticut lies a necropolis filled with elaborate tombstones, towering monuments, and a mysterious woman shrouded in blue. She forever keeps watch over a single grave, though this lady is not a ghost. Rather, this eternal mourner is a striking and enigmatic sculpture made of bronze.
Yantic Cemetery was established on July 12, 1844 and is estimated to contain about 15,000 graves. The site is quite sprawling and contains a number of different sections. Upon arriving, I was quite impressed with the size of the place and the grandiosity of the monuments. Although it was immediately clear that it was going to take some time to find the Blue Lady, I wasn’t worried – every path looked interesting.
Map at the entrance
Yantic Cemetery
Obelisks abound at the cemetery, so certain areas have a somewhat unique feeling of height. Some of the markers are literally huge, far taller than a person. Others have ornate styling or carved figures. There’s even a mausoleum done in the Egyptian style, which is rather rare.
That’s actually a grave, not a tree
An elaborate monument
About halfway through the trek, I found her. A life size bronze figure, she kneels over the grave of Sarah Larned Osgood. The figure itself is about 3 feet tall (given that it’s kneeling) and weighs around 500 pounds. Sarah Osgood passed away in 1891, so that would imply the Blue Lady sculpture is well over 100 years old. I’ll also mention that, in 2010, the statue was stolen and cut up for scrap. Thankfully, the fragments were recovered and the Blue Lady was restored to her proper place.
The Blue Lady from a distance
The Blue Lady
One piece of lore states that the Blue Lady will be holding a different object in her hand depending on the day and time of your visit. It may be a rose, a rosary, or a bible. When I was there, she only seemed to be holding on to part of her cloak. Although, there was what appeared to be a small inkwell right below her hand. Perhaps she’s changed her favored objects.
The Blue Lady close up – note her hand
The lesser seen side of the Blue Lady
If you do go for a visit, you’ll find the Blue Lady in a round section encircled by a wrought iron fence (added after she was restored). It’s at the back-middle of the cemetery. Also within that circle is an extremely tall obelisk, so that may help you find it. Once you’ve checked to see what’s she’s holding, take a stroll and enjoy the history and stonework that abounds.
The Egyptian-style mausoleum
One of many large monuments
Location:
Lafayette Street
Norwich, CT 06360
– Entrance at the intersection of Lafayette St and Williams St
Sources:
Benson, Adam. “The List: 3 noteworthy monuments in Norwich.” The Bulletin, December 28, 2015. http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/20151228/list-3-noteworthy-monuments-in-norwich.
Bessette, Claire. “Bronze statue restored to old haunt on Sarah Osgood’s grave.” The Day, February 21, 2016. https://www.theday.com/article/20130226/NWS01/130229727.
Blessing, Ryan. “Visitors to Yantic Cemetery learn stories behind gravestones.” The Bulletin, July 11, 2015. http://www.norwichbulletin.com/article/20150711/news/150719904.
Curland, Richard. “HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: Eastern Connecticut fork lore continues to fascinate.” The Bulletin, February 25, 2017. http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/20170225/historically-speaking–eastern-connecticut-fork-lore-continues-to-fascinate.
Written by A. P. Sylvia
