List, I am forwarding this announcement by the Charles S. Peirce Society concerning a plan to erect a monument at the gravesite of Peirce in Milford, PA, not far from his home, which he called Arisbe.
I was among a small group of Peirce scholars who, following the close of the 2014 International Peirce Congress at UMass, Lowell, after a ceremony placing a plaque commemorating the conference at Peirce's home in Milford, now a nature research center belonging to the National Park Service and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation, went to the cemetery where his ashes were placed after the death of his wife, Juliette. This is what we found (but see the entire discussion below): The Lowell group who made the trek to the grave site, following so soon after the Lowell Congress where Peirce’s intellectual achievements were celebrated by over 250 scholars from at least 25 countries, were unanimous in feeling troubled by the disregard, and even seeming disrespect, signified by the paltry and decrepit monument to the man. A decision was made to rectify this neglect and to arrange for a monument more suitable as a manifestation of Peirce’s intellectual weight. Shortly after that visit a committee was formed "to develop plans for a more satisfactory memorial." Subsequently the committee adopted a monument plan and settled on a design for the monument. The plan has now moved to the funding and implementation stage. The total cost will be around $20,000 US and the committee is now asking interested members of the Peirce community to make generous contributions so that the monument may be erected soon. Please see the complete announcement below which includes a link to information on how you may contribute. Best, Gary Richmond Peirce's Last House: The Community of Scholars Keeping the Memory of Peirce Alive [image: Header: The Charles S. Peirce Society] Dear Gary, We are writing to you as someone whose research interests and achievements have led us to include you among those who regard Charles S. Peirce as one of the world’s great thinkers. Soon after their marriage, Peirce and Juliette moved to Milford, Pennsylvania, where they resided until Charles’s death in 1914. For the remainder of her impoverished life, Juliette kept the urn with Peirce’s ashes on a mantel at their home, Arisbe. When Juliette died in 1934, Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot, a friend of the Peirces with a grand home in Milford, arranged for Juliette’s burial in the local cemetery near the Pinchot family plots. The urn with Peirce’s ashes was placed in the casket with Juliette and was interred with her. A small inconspicuous tombstone was erected to mark the grave. In August 2014, after the close of the International Peirce Congress in Lowell, Massachusetts, a group of Peirce scholars travelled to Milford to install and dedicate a commemorative plaque in Peirce’s study at Arisbe. This excursion to Milford, arranged for by Rosa Mayorga, included a visit to the Milford Cemetery to visit Peirce’s grave. Even the few who had visited Peirce’s grave before and who knew approximately where it was located had difficulty finding it. We were told stories of visitors from around the world who had tried in vain to find Peirce’s burial place. Once located, it was easy to see why the grave is hard to find. The tombstone is small and slightly askew and the urn beside it was broken in two. It is a very unimpressive marker indexing the final resting place of the man who many believe to be America’s greatest philosopher. The Lowell group who made the trek to the grave site, following so soon after the Lowell Congress where Peirce’s intellectual achievements were celebrated by over 250 scholars from at least 25 countries, were unanimous in feeling troubled by the disregard, and even seeming disrespect, signified by the paltry and decrepit monument to the man. A decision was made to rectify this neglect and to arrange for a monument more suitable as a manifestation of Peirce’s intellectual weight. Following this group visit to Milford, Demetra Sfendoni-Mentzou, then President of the Peirce Society, appointed a special committee, composed of members of the Peirce Society and the Peirce Foundation and chaired by Rosa Mayorga, to develop plans for a more satisfactory memorial. This committee secured the necessary permissions to erect a new monument on the grave site and adopted a monument plan designed by Céline Poisson, Professor at the School of Design at the University of Quebec at Montreal. This plan has now moved to the funding and implementation stage. The estimated cost for construction of this monument is $16,250.00 in addition to costs related to the planning and design phases. To cover these costs we seek to raise $20,000.00 and hope that you will help us achieve this goal. We ask you to make a generous donation. To make sure this project succeeds, we would like to be able to make definite arrangements for the construction of the monument as soon as possible. Therefore we urge you to make your contribution right away if you can. To learn more about the project and to donate, please visit: http://monument.peirce-foundation.org/ <https://peircesociety.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2d67a1b536f133c3e9f9d5d8c&id=04387f977d&e=860edf35dc> Please send your contributions to the Peirce Foundation. The Foundation, which is a 501(c)3 corporation, will provide you with a receipt for tax purposes. The Monument Project page will provide regular updates on progress toward our goal. Any funds received in excess of the final project cost will be used for annual upkeep. Thank you for helping make this happen! Sincerely, Nathan Houser President, Charles S. Peirce Foundation Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Indiana University at Indianapolis Rossella Fabbrichesi President, Charles S. Peirce Society Professore Associato di Ermeneutica Filosofica Università degli Studi della Milano Robert Cummings Neville Past President, Charles S. Peirce Society Professor of Philosophy, Religion, and Theology Boston University <https://peircesociety.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2d67a1b536f133c3e9f9d5d8c&id=8ce4673e59&e=860edf35dc> <https://peircesociety.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2d67a1b536f133c3e9f9d5d8c&id=3926a94599&e=860edf35dc> [image: logo: The Charles S. Peirce Society] *Copyright © 2018 Charles S. Peirce Society, All rights reserved.* *Gary Richmond* *Philosophy and Critical Thinking* *Communication Studies* *LaGuardia College of the City University of New York* *718 482-5690*
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