Author Archives: gravelyspeaking

Undaunted by Failure

Posted on September 9, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

  LEON L. BEAN Oct. 13, 1872 Feb. 5, 1967 BERTHA D. PORTER WIFE OF LEON L. BEAN 1865 — 1939 A few years ago I had a business trip to Freeport, Maine, the home and headquarters of the L. … Continue reading →

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The Persistent Myth of Mother Goose

Posted on September 6, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Old Mother Goose, When she wanted to wander, Would ride through the air On a very fine gander. Jack rode to his mother, The news for to tell; She called him a good boy And said it was well. Then … Continue reading →

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Cherubim

Posted on September 1, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Cherubim are one of nine orders or choirs of angels which are organized into three spheres, with three choirs in each sphere.  According to Christian tradition, the first sphere, which is made up of the Seraphim, Cherubim, and the Thrones, … Continue reading →

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The Chalice and the Host

Posted on August 25, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Dominus spes mea. Zum Andenken an REV. PETER TARRILLION. Pfarrer von Fredericksburg. Geb. Zu Edlinger. Lothringen 1821. Zum Priestergeweitht in Calveston 1855. GEST. MAERZ 25, 19oo. R.I. P. The white marble gravestone of Reverend Peter Tarrillion in the St. Joseph … Continue reading →

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A Closer Look

Posted on August 21, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

The elaborately designed Neo-classical sarcophagi of James B. Oliver and Frances Oliver Johnson in the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the St. Paul’s Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D. C., respectively, are imbued with a profusion of symbolism. The … Continue reading →

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Two of a Kind

Posted on August 16, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

JAMES B. OLIVER BORN APRIL IV, MCCCCXLIV DIED NOV., XXVIII MCMV James B. Oliver was a highly successful steel magnate in Pennsylvania.  He is buried in the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh in an elaborately adorned sarcophagus festooned with symbolism literally … Continue reading →

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An Artist’s Influence

Posted on August 11, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Many great artist’s works can be found in North American cemeteries, including those sculpted by Daniel Chester French, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Aldabert Volck, Felix Weihs de Weldon, Karl Bitter, Martin Milmore, Alexander Milne Calder, T. M. Brady, Albin Polasek, Harriet Whitney … Continue reading →

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Victorian Funerary Symbolism

Posted on August 3, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

John Baptiste Ford (November 11, 1811 – May 1, 1903) was born in Danville, Kentucky, and made his fortune as an industrialist producing various products including iron, steamboats, and eventually glass. Ford is buried in the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, … Continue reading →

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He had more than 15 minutes

Posted on July 29, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

The largest museum in the United States dedicated to one artist—seven floors in Pittsburgh—houses a large collection of artwork by famed pop artist Andy Warhol. The museum, located in an 88,000-square-foot building downtown contains 900 paintings, 77 sculptures, nearly 2,000 … Continue reading →

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General Stonewall Jackson and His Arm

Posted on July 23, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

In the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, formerly known as the Presbyterian Cemetery, in Lexington, Virginia, stands the commanding bronze statue of Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, sculpted by famed Richmond, Virginia, artist Edward Virginius Valentine (November 12, 1838 – October 19, … Continue reading →

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