Monthly Archives: September 2012

The Fallen Firefighter

Posted on September 13, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

  Firefighters have had their bravery memorialized in stone by grateful citizens that have taken many forms.  In the Cypress Grove Cemetery, sometimes known as the fireman’s cemetery because it was founded with funds from the Fireman’s Charitable and Benevolent … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Home in Heaven

Posted on September 12, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The epitaph for the 12-year girl tells of the family’s loss and the possible suffering of the little child before she passed away. A loved one has gone from our circle. On earth we shall meet her no more. She … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

First Responders

Posted on September 11, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

There are monuments in cemeteries all across America, like this one in the Forest Lawn Cemetery at Buffalo, New York, that stand as a testament to the bravery of firefighters, police officers, and first responders who have fallen in the line of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Obelisk

Posted on September 10, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

After the French and British occupations of Egypt, there was a renewed interest in Egyptian architecture and symbolism in America, including the obelisk, those tall thin four-sided columns that tapered upward and then end in a pyramid at the top.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Grape clusters and leaves

Posted on September 8, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The Richard Perry Morrison Monument in the Forest Lawn Cemetery at Buffalo, New York, above is decorated with grape clusters and leaves.  In Christianity the Eucharist, which is part of a religious ceremony also called Holy Communion, is a time when Christ’s followers … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | 1 Comment

Weeping Willow

Posted on September 5, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

One of my favorite graveyard symbols is the willow.  Maybe because it is a little sentimental and hints at the human emotions felt during grief.  The willow motif represents what one might expect; sorrow and grief, it is after all a … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | Leave a comment

American Bronze Company Catalog

Posted on September 2, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The Monumental Bronze Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, produced cast zinc cemetery markers billed as “white bronze” beginning in the 1870s. The markers are distinguishable by their bluish-gray tint. These grave markers came in a wide assortment of sizes and shapes and were somewhat … Continue reading →

Posted in Materials | 3 Comments

Cherub and the Veil

Posted on September 1, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

On this white-marble monument in the Oakland Cemetery at Atlanta, Georgia, memorializing the life of an infant boy just short of his second birthday, a Cherub lifts a drapery upward to reveal a coffin. The lifted curtain or drapery represents … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels | 1 Comment