Story Stones: Knights of the Whip
C & O Stage, also known as California and Oregon Stage, was the largest stagecoach operation in the region until the railroad marked
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Symbolism
Cemetery symbolism and iconography
Grave Covers
Metallic grave covers, or “mounds erected over graves” were popular in the late 1800’s. They were not only decorative but were also designed
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Stone Portraits
Stone portraits were popular in early New England from roughly the mid 1700’s to the mid-1800s. James Blachowicz’s meticulous study captured in his
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Early New England Stone Cutters–The Stone Cutter of Boston
The Old Stone Cutter has been called a “master craftsman” that set the standard for all later carvers in the Boston area in the seventeenth century.
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Early New England Gravestone Symbols
One of the earliest tombstone symbols in the United States is the Death’s Head. Also known as the “winged skull,” it pertains to
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Emblemes and Hieroglyphicks
When I first saw Mehtabel Sheafe’s gravestone in King’s Chapel Burying Ground in Boston, Massachusetts I thought it was a mother skeleton with
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Parables in Bas Relief
While religious iconography is fairly common in the cemetery, tombstones with a bas relief depiction of a Bible story are somewhat unusual. The
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Shell Babies AKA “Babies on the Half-Shell”
Shell babies were popular in the early 1900s as they could easily be ordered from catalogs. They emerged in the United States as
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Marble Carvers–M. Muldoon & Co.
Col. Michael Macdonald Muldoon (1836-1911), was the founder of “Union Marble Works, M. Muldoon & Co.,” of Louisville, Kentucky. Born in County Cavan,
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Victorian Rustic
Treestones were a product of the Victorian Rustic era and were popular funerary monuments from the 1880s until the early 1930s. Together with
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Tomb Types
Sarcophagus The sarcophagus looks like it could contain a body, but it is rare that it actually does. The Scipio style sarcophagus is
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Children’s Graves
Children are memorialized with a variety of symbols, with cherubs or baby angels being among the most common. The little lamb conveys innocence,
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Beads and Bangles, Pebbles and Pennies
Many people pay tribute to a deceased person by placing memorabilia on their grave as a symbol of respect and support. The most
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Loyal to the End
There are many poignant stories of a faithful, furry bestie saving its master. And there are sad stories of grieving dogs that return
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Egyptian Symbolism in the Cemetery
Between the pyramid shaped mausoleums embellished with sphinxes and crawling with beetles, and giant obelisks, Egyptian symbolism is abundant in the cemetery. Snakes
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Masonic Symbolism in the Cemetery
Freemasonry, rich in symbolism, has had centuries to develop symbolic embellishments for its many ceremonies and levels of proficiency. Masons or Freemasons are
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Magnificent Mausoleums
Hudson Mausoleum The Hudson Mausoleum in Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery. J.L. Hudson (1846-1912), department store magnate, died of pneumonia in England. The Hudson department
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Stewart Iron Works Cast-Iron Cemetery Fencing
Stewart Iron Works, founded in 1862 by Richard Clayborne Stewart Sr., was the largest ornamental fence company in the world at the turn
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Cemetery Symbolism–Plants
Plants are a very common motif on tombstones throughout the world, though their meanings are not always so obvious. A small selection of
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Cemetery Symbolism–Human
Eyes, hands, fingers as well as other things humans tend to use, do or wear.
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Cemetery Symbolism–Religious
Religious symbolism is one of the most common sets of symbols found in a cemetery. Angels, anchors, crosses, books, and even Bible verses
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Cemetery Symbolism–Mortality
From the Hour Glass to the Grim Reaper, we find constant reminders of our mortality in the cemetery.
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Mythological, Legendary and Otherwise Odd
The Cowbellion, a Socrates Monkey, Story Stones and Gargoyles are among the oddities found in cemeteries that are just not typical graveyard symbolism.
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Cemetery Symbolism–Animals and Insects
Animals run a wide range of symbolic meaning in the cemetery, from the innocent lamb to the ascending, dove escorting the soul to heaven.
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Cemetery Symbolism–Plants and Flowers
A new page introducing plant and flower symbolism has been added that includes a variety of plant symbolism photos. Plant symbolism portrays meanings
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