Sun going down on Emily Dickinson
I'm not a lawyer of course, but I do understand English.
And the wording -- especially "perpetual" -- of the legal easement between Carriage Shops owners/Trustees, the late Dick Johnson and Jerry Gates, and the town clearly indicates in plain English that the wall used to paint the historic mural was guaranteed to remain standing and undisturbed ... forever.
Sure, back ten years ago the owners obviously never thought they would sell the entire complex lock, stock and mural. But a local developer friend of mine told me 30 years ago, "When you own property everything is for sale ... if the price is right."
Carriage Shops main building from above (Mural on back wall facing West Cemetery)
But when million of dollars are on the table, it's hard not to be convinced otherwise. Problem is the town does not stand to gain an immediate windfall, and they do have a legally binding document that should cause major design considerations, or torpedo the lucrative deal.
"The trustees shall not undertake nor permit any activity which will alter or deface the appearance of the mural." Like, maybe, a wrecking ball for instance?
From the vantage point of her placement high on the wall, Miss Emily looks out over her final resting place and that of her entire family. In a town brimming with history, West Cemetery is our most hallowed ground.
So too is the mural.
Miss Emily (and Lavinia)