Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

Among the Dead

Posted on August 5, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The Old Dutch Church Burying Ground in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is one of the oldest graveyards in America.  Though it was established in 1685, some say that the first burials were much earlier than that.  The cemetery has many … Continue reading →

Posted in Epitaphs | Leave a comment

The Severed Bud

Posted on August 3, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Cemeteries have many symbols that represent children–shoes, seedpods, cribs, cherubs–but one of the most common is the hanging bud. The broken bud represents the flower that did not bloom into full blossom, the life that was cut short before it … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | Leave a comment

Union Deposit Cemetery

Posted on August 3, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The cemetery gate in the photo is of a small cemetery in rural Pennsylvania, just outside Hershey.  The gate is typical of many of the small cemetery gates that are made of iron rod and steel construction.  What struck me … Continue reading →

Posted in Cemetery Gates | Leave a comment

Coffin-shaped Table Top Tomb

Posted on August 2, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The coffin-shaped tombstone in the photograph is also a type of gravestone called a table tomb for an obvious reason—it looks like a table. Usually the table tomb has four or six legs supporting a stone tablet which carries the … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism, Tombs | Leave a comment

Coffin-shaped Tombstone, Part 2

Posted on August 1, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Coffins come in many shapes and sizes, though, technically, a coffin is a six-sided container or box for burial.  A casket is generally understood to have four sides and be rectangular. The six-sided coffin tombstone found in the Groveport Cemetery … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism, Tombs | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Epitaphs | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Epitaphs | Leave a comment

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