The anvil gravestone pictured above is in what is historically been called the Black Section of the Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia.  The monument commemorates the grave of Augustus Thompson (1837-1910) a prominent citizen of the city.  Thompson moved from Mississippi, out of slavery, to settle in Atlanta to work as a blacksmith, hence, the anvil atop of the gravestone. 

This gravestone displays four symbols: 

Anvil: The anvil is a symbol of universe being forged and can also represent martydom. 

The Crown above the mansions in the sky: From the Bible verse John 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.”  (This symbol is quite faint on the tombstone and difficult to see.)

Three links of chain: A symbol of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. (Thompson organized teh St. James Lodge of African-American Odd Fellows in Atlanta.)

Open Gates: Represents the passage from the Earthly Realm to the Heavenly Realm.

Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia