Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

Egyptian Revival, Part 2

Posted on April 2, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

The Schoenhofen Mausoleum in the Graceland Cemetery at Chicago, Illinois, is another grand example of Egyptian Revival Funeary Architecture.  The Egyptian and Christian symbolism share an uncomfortable coexistence.  The mausoleum displays images of the ancient pharaonic religion including the sphinx, the … Continue reading →

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The Egyptian Revival

Posted on April 1, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

After the French and British occupations of Egypt, there was a renewed interest in Egyptian architecture and symbolism.  The Egyptian symbol that is most commonly found in American cemeteries is the obelisk.  And the most famous obelisk in America is … Continue reading →

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Draped Urn

Posted on March 30, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

The monument in the photograph is of a draped urn.  This particular urn is a dramatic example of this symbol, cast in bronze and freestanding.  For the most part, the urns are found on top of columns and mausoleums, ornaments.  The urn, … Continue reading →

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The Tree of Life

Posted on March 24, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

The Burying Ground at the Morristown, New Jersey, Presbyterian Church     The Old Burying Ground at the Presbyterian Church at Morristown, New Jersey, is full of red slate gravestones, the most interesting of them by far is the gravestone … Continue reading →

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An old expression

Posted on March 24, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

Have you ever heard the expression, “Time Flies”?  This symbol, a winged hourglass, brings that expression to life, so to speak.  A reminder in stone that life is short and that time is fleeting, every minute of every day brings one closer and … Continue reading →

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President Harrison’s Grave

Posted on March 23, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

Crown Hill Cemetery is the third largest cemetery in the United States at 555 acres.  It was established June 1, 1864, and now is the burial ground of three Vice Presidents–Charles W. Fairbanks, Thomas A. Hendricks, and Thomas R. Marshall–an … Continue reading →

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Fading from Memory

Posted on March 23, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

I was reading Arts in View, a blog, written by my friend and author, Donovan Walling.  He elegantly wrote a blog about googling your own name or someone else’s as confirmation of being alive or having lived.  It got me … Continue reading →

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The Willow

Posted on March 20, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

Yesteday, the Indiana Chapter of the Association for Gravestone Studies met at the Waiting Station of the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana, organized by Jeannie Regan-Dinius from the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, and Joy Giguere, an history professor … Continue reading →

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Broken Bud

Posted on March 18, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

Detail of the top of the LOUIS H. RAETH gravestone LOUIS H. RAETH                                                                                                                          son of                                                                                                                                            JOHN & SARALDA                                                                                                       RAETH                                                                                                                                        BORN                                                                                                                                               Dec. 30, 1851                                                                                                                                DIED                                                                                                                                               May 21, 1853 As I walk through cemeteries and read the text on the gravestones, the … Continue reading →

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Knights

Posted on March 17, 2011 by gravelyspeaking

The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 as a Catholic fraternal service organization.  The fraternity was founded by Father Michael J. McGivney, an Irish-American priest, from St. Mary’s Parish of New Haven, Connecticut.  Originally founded to provide aid to orphans … Continue reading →

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