Monroe’s “Birdcage”

Posted on February 17, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

James Monroe (April 28, 1758 – July 4, 1831) was the fifth President of the United States (1817 to 1825).  Most historians rate Monroe as an above average president for the way he managed the office.  He appointed the people to various positions based on their credentials with no regard to whether or not they belonged to his political party which lessened the tensions in the two-party system. The economy was relatively stable during his presidency and the after the War of 1812, nationalism was running high.  His time in the office was dubbed “The Era of Good Feelings.” His crowning diplomatic achievements included the enunciation of the Monroe Doctrine and the acquisition of Florida.  During his presidency five states—Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Maine, and Missouri—were admitted to the Union.  Monroe left office as a popular president.

When Monroe’s wife, Elizabeth, died in 1830, the president moved to New York to live with his daughter, Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur, and her husband Samuel.  His health was already failing.  He died on July 4, 1831, and was buried in the Gouverneur family’s crypt in Marble Cemetery in New York City.

In 1858, Monroe’s body was re-interred in the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.  His body was laid to rest in a sarcophagus with a slate plaque that reads, “James Monroe, Born in Westmoreland County 28” April 1758.  Died in the city of New York 4” July 1831.  By Order of the General Assembly His Remains were removed to this Cemetery 5” July 1858.  As an evidence of the affection of Virginia for Her Good and Honored Son.”

The white granite sarcophagus is surrounded by an elaborate cast-iron temple-like structure designed by Albert Lybrock.  The Gothic Revival structure, complete with lancet and rose windows has become known as the “birdcage.”  Since its construction, it has repaired, patched, filled, and painted several times.  Even still the structure was in bad disrepair and needed urgent care.

A Richmond Times-Dispatch September 29, 2015, article reported, “The ornate cast-iron canopy over the tomb of President James Monroe will be taken apart and restored to its original, lighter color as part of a $900,000 restoration of the Gothic Revival structure that helped put Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery on the map. The repair project, announced … by the state Department of General Services, is timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Monroe’s election as the fifth president in 1816.”

Conservators estimated that up to 40% of the structure needed to be replaced, recast, or repaired.  After examination of the structure and photos of the canopy at the time of its erection, it was determined that it was originally painted a light gray more closely resembling the granite sarcophagus.  After the birdcage was taken apart and repaired, it was repainted to match the original color and re-installed as a fitting tribute to the fifth President of the United States.

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Jefferson’s Epitaph

Posted on February 14, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Thomas Jefferson (April 2, 1743 O.S. – July 4, 1826) was the third president of the United States serving in that office from 1801 to 1809, when he was succeeded by James Madison, his protégé and political ally.  Jefferson stacked up an impressive record as president—he doubled the size of the country with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory; reversed the Alien and Sedition Acts of the previous Adams Administration, and sent off Lewis and Clark to explore the vast North American continent, among many other accomplishments.

But what he is likely remembered for most happened before he was elected to the highest office—in the hot summer of 1776, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, our founding document.  He penned those immortal words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

And with the following words our new nation was born, “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

Perhaps one of the greatest tributes to Jefferson was given in a speech to Nobel Laureates on April 29, 1962, when President John Kennedy said, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone. Someone once said that Thomas Jefferson was a gentleman of 32 who could calculate an eclipse, survey an estate, tie an artery, plan an edifice, try a cause, break a horse, and dance the minuet.”

He was definitely, to use an over used word, a genius.  He could read and write Latin and Greek and was fluent in French.  He designed his palatial home, Monticello.  Jefferson was a voracious reader and writer.  But Jefferson, though an accomplished politician and statesman, only wanted to be remembered for three things, which he had carved on the obelisk that he designed.  Jefferson left explicit instructions that not a single word more be carved on his gravestone but the following:

Here was buried

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of American Independence

of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom

& the Father of the University of Virginia

The gravestone that marks the grave of Thomas Jefferson is a replacement.  The original was picked at by souvenir seekers.  Jefferson left instructions that his gravestone be made of a lesser stone, of a course stone, so as to prevent someone from wanting it.  He had no idea it would be chipped away by tourists.

I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Denny, and my friend and neighbor, Doug, for sharing their photos of Monticello and Jefferson’s graveyard with me.

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President Lincoln

Posted on February 12, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Two hundred and nine years ago today, Abraham Lincoln, who became the 16th president of the United States, was born, as every school child knows, in a log cabin in Kentucky.  From very modest beginnings, Lincoln rose to the highest office through wit, political cunning, and hard work.

In poll after poll, many historians and the general population rank Lincoln either as the first or second greatest president to ever have served in the office of the presidency.  He is credited, rightly, with navigating to preserve the Union with moral clarity and “malice toward none.”  And two of his speeches, the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address, are considered to be two of the greatest speeches ever delivered in our history.

His second term, however, was cut short when an assassin’s bullet killed him.  After Lincoln took his last breath, Secretary or War Edwin Stanton reportedly said, “He now belongs to the ages.” The country wept and mourned the fallen president.  The day his death became known, leaders in Springfield began to plan for a suitable tomb to be constructed.

After lying in state, Lincoln’s body was transported by train to Springfield, Illinois. After his body was removed from the Statehouse, it was taken to a receiving vault in the Oak Ridge Cemetery.

The monument designed by the architectural firm of Larkin Goldsmith and Mead that now contains the mortal remains of President Lincoln, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln and their three youngest sons, was completed in 1874.

The tomb, constructed of granite from Biddeford, Maine, has a large rectangular single story and a semi-circular entrance with a 117-foot obelisk rising from the center.  On either side of the entrance are staircases that lead to the top of the tomb’s terrace.  Four large semicircles form the base of the obelisk with bronze statues representing the infantry, navy, artillery, and cavalry that defended the Union.  On a pedestal directly in front of the obelisk is a bronze statue of President Abraham Lincoln.

In front of the tomb is a bronze sculpture of Lincoln’s by Gutzon Borglum.  Many tourists rub the sculpture’s nose for good luck leaving it shiny.

In 1876, two hapless criminals from Chicago were caught in a failed attempt to steal Lincoln’s body and hold it for ransom—for cash and the release of one of their jailed buddies.  When they enlisted a third partner to help with their scheme, they chose a Secret Service informant and were easily caught.  This caused the authorities to rebury Lincoln’s body in a more secure vault underneath the floor of the original burial chamber.  Since the death and burial of Mary Todd Lincoln, the president and their three sons, Edward, Willie, and Tad, have been moved several times within the monument.  Lincoln is secure in an underground vault—Mary Todd Lincoln rests along with her sons in crypts in the burial chamber room.

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The Father of Photojournalism

Posted on February 8, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

GILBERT HOVEY

GROSVENOR, LL.D.

OCTOBER 28, 1875 FEBRUARY 4, 1966

PRESIDENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY 1920 – 1954

EDITOR

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 1899 – 1954

ELSIE MAY BELL

GROSVENOR, LL. D.

MAY 8, 1878 DECEMBER 26, 1964

BELOVED WIFE AND MOTHER

HUMANITARIAN, AUTHOR

Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor was the long-time editor of the National Geographic Magazine and is considered to be the “father of photojournalism.”  His wife of 64 years, Elsie May Bell Grosvenor, daughter of Alexander Graham Bell, is buried next to him, along with 14 other family members.

The memorial that marks the graves of the Hubbard, Bell, Grossman, and Pillot family members in St. Paul’s Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C., is a traditional gravestone style known as a stele.  The stele, a stone or wooden slab that is generally taller than it is wide and designed as a funeral commemorative, dates back many centuries and is one of the oldest forms of gravestone.

This stele has two rosettes on the shaft and is topped with an acroterion motif. The acroterion motif is a stylized palm leaf, which can be found on classical Roman and Greek architecture.  The word acroterion comes from the Greek meaning summit.  This motif has its origins in Egyptian art and architecture.

In the top of the stele, just under the cornice, is a bas-relief carving showing a classical nude male seated with his body turned to the right showing his profile. In his left hand he holds a torch and his right arm rests on an urn.

The urn was an almost ubiquitous 19th Century symbol found in nearly every American cemetery.  The urn symbolically represents the mortal body.

The torch upright with the flame atop represents life.  The torch is also seen as an instrument that illuminates the darkness representing enlightenment.  It can symbolize zeal, liberty, and immortality.

The stele was designed and carved by Yale-trained sculptor Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963).  Lawrie was a leading architectural sculptor who worked on commissions that included the Nebraska State Capitol, the Los Angeles Public Library, and the monumental bronze statue of Atlas installed at Rockefeller Center in New York City.  The stele and the sculpture of Atlas demonstrate Lawrie’s Moderne or Art Deco style. Both are characterized by strong simple lines, unadorned design, and powerful dynamic imagery.

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Under Her Feet

Posted on February 4, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

This funerary sculpture of the Virgin Mary can be found in the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.  In addition to the symbolism of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which the Virgin Mary points to, is also the image and symbolism of Mary standing on a snake. Look to the bottom of the statue.

In Genesis 3:15 God speaks to the serpent after the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; He shall crush your head and you shall lie in wait for his heel.” In the Latin translation the passage read “she shall crush your head.”

The passage comes to be seen as a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Christ is the “seed of the woman.” Mother Mary is free from sin, both original and actual, and as such is viewed as the new Eve, the only woman who has a perfect enmity with the devil. It is the ultimate symbol of Mary’s victory over Satan.

In a larger sense it is viewed as the triumph of good over evil.

 

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Snake Eating Its Tail

Posted on February 2, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Akron Rural Cemetery, Glendale, Ohio

On the massive bronze doors of the Bertram Work Neo-Classical Mausoleum in the Akron Rural Cemetery, in Glendale, Ohio, are several repeating images, one of which is the Ouroboros. This image is also found on the imposing Egyptian Revival mausoleum built for the Caleb Smith family constructed in the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana

The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a snake eating its tail. The word, Ouroboros, is Greek—oura meaning tail; vora meaning eating, and ophis meaning serpent or snake. In ancient Egypt, the Ouroboros represented the daily passage of the sun.  However, the symbol was adopted by Western culture and came to represent the cycle of endless creation and destruction; for living creatures, the cycle of life and death.  The snake eating its tail in cemetery symbolism represents the cycle of life—birth and death—and eternity.

Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana

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Continuation of Snake Week – Caduceus

Posted on January 31, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Bohemian National Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

The caduceus is a symbol comprised of two snakes twining around a rod surmounted with wings.  Its history can be traced back to ancient Greece.  The Greeks recognized the caduceus as the symbol of Hermes (in Roman mythology it was the god Mercury).  The caduceus became recognized in modern times as a symbol of commerce.

However, in the United States, the caduceus has often become confused with the Rod of Asclepius to represent medical organizations.  Some historians trace the confusion back to the United States Medical Corps, which adopted the caduceus as its insignia in 1902.  The Rod of Asclepius is used as a medical insignia in most medical organizations worldwide.  But in the United States, according to one study, as many as 76% of the commercial healthcare associations use the caduceus, while 62% of professional healthcare associations use the Rod of Asclepius.

Evergreen Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

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The Rod of Asclepius

Posted on January 29, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Akron Rural Cemetery, Glendale, Ohio

Not all snakes found on gravestones in cemeteries are bad or represent Satan and sin.  In Greek mythology, for instance, Asclepius was the god associated with healing.  The symbol of the god was a snake coiled around a staff.

The symbolism of the snake and staff has been interpreted many ways.  Some see the snake as having powers to rejuvenate itself—it sloughs off its skin and becomes young again in an act of renewal.  Others see it as a metaphor for medicine.  In ancient times venom was often prescribed as a medicine and in that way could help a patient.  On the other hand, if the snake bites you, the snake can hurt or even cause death.  Just as with the snake, the physician has life and death in his hands.

Thus, the Rod of Asclepius became the symbol for medical professionals around the world, including the United Nation’s World Heath Organization.  In the United States most professional health organizations use the Rod of Asclepius as their symbol.

Akron Rural Cemetery, Glendale, Ohio

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The Snake

Posted on January 28, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio

In one of the most told and retold stories from the Bible, the snake became associated with the fall of man when he whispered in Eve’s ear and encouraged her to eat from the Tree of Life while Adam and Eve were still living in the Garden of Eden.

The Bible:

Genesis 3, Verse  1: NOW the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.   And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye said not eat of every tree of the garden.

2: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.

3: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden.  God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5: for God doth know that in the say ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be opened, and ys shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8: And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

9: And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10: And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11: And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldnest not eat?

12: And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13: And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shall thou eat all the days of thy life.

14: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise her heel.

In most cases, snakes represent sin or Satan in funerary art.  There are exceptions, though, as in the case of the Ouroboros, the Rod of Asclepius, and the Caduceus.

Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio

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Sheathed Sword

Posted on January 27, 2018 by gravelyspeaking

CHARLES F. TAGGART

MAJOR 2ND PENN. CAVALRY

DIED OCT. 24, 1863

FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED

AT BEALETON STATION, VA.

The segmented-top white marble gravestone that marks Major Charles Taggart’s grave is imbued with symbolism.  Draped over the top of the gravestone is a cloth.  In this case, it likely symbolizes that Taggard’s Earthly garments have been cast aside as his soul makes the transition to the Heavenly plane.

Also carved on the stone is a soldier’s sword in its sheath.  Typically the sheathed sword would represent temperance and restraint.  It is obviously also a nod to honor Major Taggard’s service in the Civil War.  Charles Taggard served in two units—first in 1st Philadelphia City Troop from November 10, 1857 until August 17, 1861 when he mustered out.  The 2nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Calvary formed on November 18, 1861 with Taggard rising to the rank of Major.  Nearly from the very beginning when the new unit was formed they saw action when they joined the Army of the Potomac in the Battles of Battles of the 2nd Bull Run and Chantilly.  Later the unit chased the famous Colonel Mosby, then later saw action in the Battle of Gettysburg in those three fateful days of July in 1863.  But Major Taggard’s last battle was a skirmish at Bealeton Station, Virginia.  Taggard was shot in the knee while leading a charge against Confederate cavalry and infantry units.  Taggart’s leg was amputated but died two days later.  His body was returned to Philadelphia and on October 29th, 1863 his funeral was held.  Taggard’s body was laid to rest in the Laurel Hill Cemetery by six pallbearers who had served with him in the City Troop.

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