Monthly Archives: July 2011

Kentucky Fried

Colonel Harland Sanders, born near Henryville, Indiana, September 9, 1890                           Founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Empire                                                                        Died Louisville, Kentucky, December 16, 1980                                       His Beloved Wife, Claudia Ellen Sanders, born near London, Kentucky, September 7, 1902  Truly “The Colonel’s Lady” … Continue reading

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Sheaf of Wheat

Wheat’s origins are unknown but is the basis of basic food and a staple in many cultures and as such is viewed as a gift from Heaven.  It symbolizes immortality and resurrection.  But, like many symbols found on gravestones, they can have … Continue reading

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Junior Order of United American Mechanics

Motto: Our Country                                                                                                                 Creed: Principals, Not Men The Junior Order of United American Mechanics, founded May 17th, 1853, in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, had its origins in a faternal group called The United American Mechanics, which was founded in 1845.  The … Continue reading

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Homesick

As I  walked through the Rose Hill Cemetery in Bloomington, Indiana, I was surprised to see “LOST ON THE TITANIC” carved into a large granite monument.  There in front of me was a part of one of the most dramatic … Continue reading

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Tumulus

The tumulus is a mound form of burial that dates back to prehistoric peoples 4,ooo to 5,ooo years B.C.  Examples can be found throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.  There are many examples in the United States from Maine to Georgia … Continue reading

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The Elks metal markers

The Benevolent Protective Order of Elks metal marker above includes the two most significant symbols for the Elks Club memebers–the Elk, of course, and the clock with the hands frozen at the 11:00 o’clock hour when the Elks traditionally remember their … Continue reading

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President William Howard Taft

The elegant 14 and a half foot tall Stony Creek granite monument designed by James Earl Frazer marks the graves of United States President William Howard Taft and his wife and First Lady, Helen Herron Taft.  Gold lettering states their names … Continue reading

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BPOE

The Robert Maxwell gray granite block monument in the Fairmont Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, displays the initials B.P.O.E (Benevolent Protective Order of Elks) and one of the most important Elk’s motifs–the clock with the hands pointing to eleven o’clock.  The … Continue reading

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Elks

The Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, one of the many fraternal organizations in the United States, was originally a drinking club called the Jolly Corks founded in 1866 by a group of actors, who evidently liked to drink.  The club … Continue reading

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The Rose

 What lovesick boy doesn’t know the meaning of a single rose, standing there on the front porch, at the beginning of his first date, nervously clutching the flower while he waits expectantly for the door to open and for his … Continue reading

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