Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

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 →

Posted in Mausoleums | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Tombs | Leave a comment

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

Open Book

Posted on July 12, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The tombstone above is topped with an oxidized copper sculpture of an open book.  The open book is a fairly common symbol found on gravestones. The motif can represent the Book of Life with the names of the just registered on its pages.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | 2 Comments

Tree-Stump Veteran Tombstone

Posted on July 10, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

  The tree-stump tombstone in the photo above is typical of the era.  The tombstone is carved to look like a tree.  The limbs are cut from the tree. There is a small vine twining up the base and a flap … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Tree-stump and the railroad lantern

Posted on July 8, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Tree stump tombstones, generally carved from limestone, were a part of the rustic movement of the mid-nineteenth century which was characterized by designs that were made to look like they were from the country. The gravestones are purposefully designed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Treestump gravestones | 1 Comment

Century Plant

Posted on July 6, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Centered at the base of the elaborate Victorian-era Starr Family Monument in the Forest Lawn Cemetery at Buffalo, New York, is a century plant. Many Christian symbols have been appropriated because of the qualities of the animal or the plant are … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism | 3 Comments

An Animal’s Best Friend

Posted on July 4, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Long before there was a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals founded in 1980), there was the ASPCA (America Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals).  Founded in 1866 by Henry Bergh, the organization sought to educate … Continue reading →

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