Monthly Archives: July 2012

Coffin-shaped tomb

Posted on July 31, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The coffin in cemetery symbolism represents death.  The reasons for that are fairly obvious.  Sometimes the image of the coffin is carved on the gravestone, other times the gravestone itself is carved to look like a coffin. This white marble coffin-shaped gravestone found … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism, Tombs, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

A Strong Warning

Posted on July 29, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The red sandstone gravestone of William Tompkins and Sally Tompkins in the Old Dutch Burying Ground at Sleepy Hollow, New York, has an epitaph that is a stern message and a strong warning for those who are still alive: Go home dear … Continue reading →

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The Last Word

Posted on July 28, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Nothing is as final as death.  The quote, “Dead men tell no lies” reminds us of the silence of the grave.  However, the dead can speak one last time in wills, diaries, letters, and epitaphs.  Though many epitaphs are chosen … Continue reading →

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Relief

Posted on July 26, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Some epitpahs read as though they are out of a can–that is they read as generic–“Gone But Not Forgotten“, for instance.  While others, even though, they rhyme, which was conventional, still sound personal.  The epitaph of Stephen R. Stryker, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Epitaphs | 1 Comment

The Door

Posted on July 25, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Some tombs in the Metarie Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, have a past, just as do their occupants!  The polished red granite Morales Family Tomb was originally built for a former madam in 1911.  The bronze statue of the woman at … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | 2 Comments

The Chocolatiers

Posted on July 23, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Derry Church, Pennsylvania, which later became known as Hershey is the home of the Hershey Company, one of the oldest chocolate companies in the United States and the largest in North America.  The company was founded by Milton Snavely Hershey … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous graves | 1 Comment

Ionic Order

Posted on July 21, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The classically designed mausoleum in the Cave Hill Cemetery at Louisville, Kentucky, was built for Paul Jones, a whiskey and tobacco distributor who left his native Atlanta when Georgia enacted prohibition laws.  Jones picked up and moved to Louisville where … Continue reading →

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The Corinthinian Order

Posted on July 20, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The stately light-gray granite James H. McNulty monument in the Forest Lawn Cemetery at Buffalo, New York, was designed to resemble a similiar monument in France.  The monument’s dome is supported by Corinthinian columns forming a circular colonnade or peristyle.   The … Continue reading →

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Replica Angel

Posted on July 18, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

One the most famous sculptors of the early Twentieth Century was Daniel Chester French, best known for his monumental sculpture of the seated Abraham Lincoln centered in the Lincoln Memorial at Washington, D.C.  In addition to the many public monuments that he … Continue reading →

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The Lowry Family Monument

Posted on July 16, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Many Victorian cemetery monuments are adorned with a mourning figure.  In his book, Saving Graces, published by W. W. Norton & Company, David Robinson photographed mourning figures from some of the most beautiful and famous cemeteries in Europe, including Pere … Continue reading →

Posted in Saving Graces | 1 Comment