Category Archives: Tombs

Exotic Revival Architecture

Posted on September 8, 2019 by gravelyspeaking

William Allen Rawson Born November 2, 1810 – Craftsbury, Orleans County, Vermont Died September 11, 1879 – Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa . Julia A. Root Rawson Born January 21, 1818 – Montague, Franklin County, Massachusetts Died July 31, 1865 … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism, Tombs | Leave a comment

The Gates Mausoleum

Posted on June 11, 2019 by gravelyspeaking

  The Gates Mausoleum (not Bill Gates, who is very much alive) in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx is a massive display of wealth.  Robert “Bet-a-Million” Warne Gates, who made a fortune manufacturing and selling barbed wire and founding … Continue reading →

Posted in Saving Graces, Symbolism, Tombs, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Forbidden Love

Posted on December 28, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

Nelson W. Blocher February 1, 1847 January 24, 1884 Inside the elaborate Victorian granite monument in the Forest Lawn Cemetery at Buffalo, New York, dedicated to Nelson Blocher, the son of John and Elizabeth Blocher, are four sculptures that depict … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous graves, Symbolism, Tombs | Leave a comment

Taphophobia and a telephone

Posted on October 1, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

Martin Sheets 1853 – 1926 Susan Sheets 1859 – 1929 Ethel 13 months In the 19th Century there were cases of people who had been found to be buried alive, in fact, one researcher found hundreds of such cases. Out … Continue reading →

Posted in Mausoleums, Tombs | 1 Comment

Terre Haute, Egyptian Style

Posted on September 6, 2016 by gravelyspeaking

After the French and British occupations of Egypt, there was a renewed interest in Egyptian architecture and symbolism in America. The evidence of the influence of Egyptian design can be found in nearly every American cemetery, especially large urban cemeteries. … Continue reading →

Posted in Symbolism, Tombs | Leave a comment

Ancient Classical Designs

Posted on September 22, 2013 by gravelyspeaking

Many ancient classical designs are replicated in modern graveyards.  The sarcophagus of Alexander Moseley (died in 1899) in the Mount Auburn Cemetery at Cambridge, Massachusetts, is modeled after the Roman tomb of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus, which was erected around 150 BC.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Tombs | Leave a comment

Exedra, etc.

Posted on February 6, 2013 by gravelyspeaking

An exedra is a semi-circular structure, often with a bench with a high back. Sometimes there is an architectural feature in the center of the exedra, often with statuary or the family name.  In this example, the doric columns and … Continue reading →

Posted in Tombs | Leave a comment

Exedra

Posted on February 4, 2013 by gravelyspeaking

Conrad Stubenbord  Nov. 23, 1848 July 22, 1913 Ernestine Stubenbord Sept 12, 1847 Dec 21, 1936 The Stubenbord-Sutherland rose-colored polished granite monument in the Green-Wood Cemetery at Brooklyn, New York, is an example of an exedra.  An exedra is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Tombs | 1 Comment

Oval Chest Tomb

Posted on January 29, 2013 by gravelyspeaking

Chest tombs which were common in 19th Century American graveyards were also referred to as false crypts because the coffin was not inside the chest tomb, but buried underneath underground.  This chest tomb is not in the traditional box-shaped false crypt but … Continue reading →

Posted in Tombs | Leave a comment

Chest Tomb

Posted on January 26, 2013 by gravelyspeaking

Chest tombs were first popularized in Europe.  The tombs resembled a chest or trunk, often with an effigy of the deceased lying in repose on top.  The Tomb of Vasco de Gama (c.1460-1524) buried at the Monastery of Jeronimos at … Continue reading →

Posted in Tombs | Leave a comment