Rev. William E. Barton's "Wigwam" Sunset Lake Retreat, Foxboro, Massachusetts

In the woods today around Sunset Lake in Foxboro State Forest I came across the remains of Rev. William E. Barton's "Wigwam" retreat in the woods off Granite Street. Barton was born on June 28, 1861, in Sublette, Lee County, Illinois, and died on December 7, 1930. He is buried in Rock Hill Cemetery in Foxboro.
At the turn of the 20th Century he was one of the country's foremost scholars on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, and his wife Esther, whose charitable efforts reached around the globe, established Foxboro connections early in Dr. Barton's ministry while at Shawmut Church in Boston when they purchased property in town for a summer escape from the city.

As I gazed upon the remains, and aware of history and importance of the site, I could not help but think how fleeting life and accomplishments are. Our loved ones who have passed on from life are not empty shells and abandoned foundations. They are remembered not for the job they attained, how much money they amassed or what property they owned. They are the living memories that warm the hearths of our homes and kiss our children and grandchildren through our lips.