Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

Horseback Evangelism

Posted on March 25, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The metal marker affixed to the gravestone shows a minister riding a horse.  The image is an appropriate one, especially for the Methodist clergy.  While many denominations had circuit riding ministers during the settlement of the Frontier, no single church … Continue reading →

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Another Squirrel

Posted on March 23, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Even though, they are considered rare, I have come across more squirrels displayed on gravestones, since I first wrote about the image as a funerary symbol.  The carving in the photo above is found in a rural cemetery in Greene County, Indiana.  … Continue reading →

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The Tasty Morel

Posted on March 21, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The word morel comes from the Latin word maurus meaning brown and refers to edible mushrooms from the genus Morchella.  Around the country, Morel mushrooms are called many names—molly moochers, dryland fish, sponge mushrooms, hickory chickens, merkels, and miracles—but whatever you … Continue reading →

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Improved Order of Redmen

Posted on March 20, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The metal marker above marks the grave of a member of the Improved Order of Redmen, which claims its beginnings with the patriots who were in the Sons of Liberty during the American Revolution.  The society models itself after the … Continue reading →

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The Clover

Posted on March 17, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The clover is the symbol of Ireland because legend has it that St. Patrick, the country’s patron saint, brought it to the emerald isle.  The three leaves of the clover represent the Trinity–the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. … Continue reading →

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Military Order of the Cootie

Posted on March 14, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The Military Order of the Cootie (MOC) is the Honor Degree from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). The origin of the order dates back to the Spanish American War and the Imperial Order of the Dragon.  Founded in 1920 … Continue reading →

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Dry Stone Wall

Posted on March 10, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The Convenanter Cemetery is nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood in Bloomington, Indiana.  The two portals into the graveyard are simple wrought-iron gates, the only entryways through the stone walls, reminiscent of rural England and Scotland, that surround the tiny cemetery. Many refer to the this … Continue reading →

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The Basketball

Posted on March 8, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

Warren Dean Jones, August 10, 1931—December 27, 1948 At first, the carved limestone basketball at Bedford’s Beech Grove Cemetery looks like a fan’s tribute to Indiana’s state sport—Hoosier basketball. As most know who follow sports, basketball is as popular in … Continue reading →

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The Swan

Posted on March 4, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

The swan is familiar to us all from Hans Christian Anderson’s story.  In the tale the poor duckling, mocked and ridiculed for being so ugly, magically transforms into an elegant and graceful adult swan–thereby becoming a symbol of transformation.  The swan in … Continue reading →

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National Society, Colonial Daughters of the Seventeenth Century

Posted on March 3, 2012 by gravelyspeaking

    Many organizations were founded in the later part of the 19th Century that required the prospective members demonstrate that their ancestors had been in the United States before a certain date or that their ancestors had served in a … Continue reading →

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