From Cradle to Grave with Cradle

On a recent jaunt through Atlanta's sepulchral masterpiece, Oakland Cemetery, I was awed by a marvelous cradle carved atop a child's grave. Surprisingly, I can't say that I've seen that many cradles atop or in grave symbolism, so this particular grave fascinated me. Sadly, the work is unsigned and the marble has deteriorated quite a bit. I've adjusted the contrast on these photos so the cradle's details are more evident.

Grave of Joseph Dennis Wing, Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta.
Young Joseph died March 5, 1912. Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell
IV, all rights reserved.

Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

Charleston, South Carolina's Magnolia Cemetery contains a far more elaborate cradle marking the grave of Rosalie Raymond White. This grave is made all the more haunting by the addition of a death mask of the child underneath the hood of cradle.

Grave of Rosalie Raymond White, Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston
South Carolina. Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

The inscription reveals that Rosalie was less than a year old when
she died September 5, 1882. Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all
rights reserved.

Rosalie White's death mask. Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV,
all rights reserved.

Le tombeau de Marie Laveau

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
Basin Street
New Orleans, Louisiana


Among the most important cemeteries in the American South is the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Established in 1789, just after a disastrous fire and calamitous epidemics left the original St. Peters Street Cemetery filled, this cemetery continues to be used on occasion, though it is mostly filled. It is the resting place of numerous well-known New Orleanians including the famous "Voudou Priestess," Marie Laveau (1794-1881).

Marie Laveau's tomb, 1999. Photo by jclarson,
courtesy of Wikipedia.

Most of the cemetery here is built above ground. A quote from architect Benjamin Latrobe (who is also buried here) notes that the graves are mostly above ground because of the very high water table. There is some indication that the case is more due to Spanish and French burial traditions. Here these family tombs are reused. A family member would be placed in a wooden coffin and then sealed into one of the shelf-like tombs. After at least a year and a day, the remains would be removed and pushed to the back of the tomb, while the coffin would be burned or reused. The name of the deceased would also be added to a marble plaque sealing the tomb. Therefore, these tombs could hold many people. The Wikipedia article on the cemetery states that some 100,000 people are buried on this acre of land, though I would question that source.

A marvelous engraving showing a Victorian All Saints Day
in one of the cemeteries in New Orleans. All Saints Day in New
Orleans--Decorating the Tombs in One of the City Cemeteries,
by John Durkin, published in Harper's Weekly, November 1885.

The tomb of the Glapion family, where Marie Laveau may be buried, has become one of the most famous monuments in this cemetery and the story has been told that drawing three Xs on the tomb can be the source of good luck. Courtney Mroch of the wonderful paranormal travel blog, Haunt Jaunts, has addressed this legend in a marvelous article. There is some doubt as to whether Madame Laveau is really buried in this tomb.

Sources

Historic Preservation Program, U. of Pennsylvania. "Burial Custom."
     St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Accessed 23 August 2011.
Historic Preservation Program, U. of Pennsylvania. "Historic Overview."

     St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Accessed 23 August 2011.
Marie Laveau. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 23 August
     2011.
Mroch, Courtney. "The Xs on Marie Laveau's Tomb: Vandalism or Voodoo?"
     Haunt Jaunts. 23 August 2011.
St. Louis Cemetery. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 23 August

     2011.

Henry McCauley's Hands--Waverly Hall Cemetery

Waverly Hall Cemetery
GA Highway 208
Waverly Hall, Georgia


Lately I've been travelling to Columbus, Georgia for work. Once I've finished the work, I've set out to photograph the nearby cemeteries. Columbus' Linwood Cemetery is marvelous and features some incredible funerary art, some of it by local stone carver Henry McCauley. McCauley's work, described in Mary Jane Galer and Linda Kennedy's book on Linwood Cemetery as "museum quality," also appears in the cemetery in Waverly Hall, just down the road.

Working between 1856 and 1879, McCauley produced a number of exquisite monuments. Among them, two monuments in Waverly Hall Cemetery featuring beautifully carved matrimonial hands. These hands, common in Victorian grave symbolism, symbolize holy matrimony. Two hands joined together commonly appear in the symbolism and may have a variety of meanings; but in this case with gender-specific cuffs indicates matrimony.

Both monuments are fairly similar and the Lowe Monument appears to have had a column similar to the Crook Monument. There is a rounded column base on top of the Lowe Monument with a notch in the top for attaching the column. It's interesting to note that, according to the Linwood Cemetery book, McCauley started working in 1856, as the deceased all died prior to that. Of course, sometimes it would take years to get a permanent marker. Both monuments are signed, "H. McCauley, Columbus."

There is also a bit of difference in how the hands are carved. The hands on the Lowe Monument, in my humble opinion, are a better effort and more natural. The fingers appear more relaxed than the stiff fingers on the other monument. Also, note the wrinkles and folds of skin on the thumb on the Lowe Monument, detailing absent from the Crook Monument. The inclusion of a double heart above the hands on the Lowe Monument emphasizes the matrimonial nature of the joined hands.

The Crook Monument erected for Maj. Osborne
Crook, d. 15 October 1851 and his wife, Elizabeth
C. Crook, d. 25 October 183[?]9. Photo 2011,
by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

One pair of hands on the Crook Monument. Photo 2011, by
Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

The opposite side of the Crook Monument. Photo 2011, by
Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

The Lowe Monument, note the natural stone
foundation and coping. This was erected for
General Henry H. Lowe, d. 8 July 1854 and
his wife Mariah H. Lowe, d. 27 November 1852.
Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all rights
reserved.

The hands and hearts from the Lowe Monument. Photo 2011,
by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

McCauley's signature from the Lowe Monument. The Crook
Monument is signed, but the signature could not be clearly
photographed. Photo 2011, all rights reserved.

Sources
Galer, Mary Jane and Linda Kennedy. Historic Linwood Cemetery.
     Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004.

Fallen Southern Gothic—The Broome Monument

Lot 355

Hill View Cemetery

New Franklin Road

LaGrange, Georgia

Hill View Cemetery from the Dallis family plot. Photo 2011, by
Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

There’s always an issue of where to start. I figure, where else but my own hometown and the old main cemetery here, Hill View? I’ve driven or ridden past Hill View many times since I moved to town at the age of three. There were always monuments there that have intrigued me, but I never took much time to stop. At some point in my childhood I took a class in gravestone rubbing from the local art museum and that gave me some time to explore the cemetery. After making the decision to start this blog, I figured a visit would be in order and I was amazed and saddened; amazed by the incredible art that exists there and saddened by the state of the cemetery.

A fallen Gothic Revival monument to Mrs. E. J. Swanson,
consort of S. W. Swanson, died May 28, 1842. Photo 2011,
by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

Hill View Cemetery is, as far as I can find, the old main city cemetery. Forrest Clark Johnson’s book on the cemetery does not reveal when the cemetery first opened, but I’ll assume it opened not long after the incorporation of the city in 1828. Standing there among the monuments, it’s obvious that so many of these people were instrumental in the creation of the city as their names occur in streets and other locations. Also there is some truly incredible funerary art can be found here. While the cemetery is basically maintained by the City of LaGrange (they cut the grass and such), so many of the monuments really need restoration and preservation, which I presume is not their responsibility.

The cemetery is part of three major cemeteries all located together: Hill View, Shadowlawn and the Hill View Annex. Hill View lies south of Bacon Street with its Annex located north of Bacon Street. Shadowlawn is due east of the Annex, across Linden Avenue. Both the Annex and Shadowlawn Cemeteries are starkly modern in comparison with the original Hill View with its trees and old monuments.

The Broome family plot under a shady cedar tree. The plot
lies within the fence. Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV,
all rights reserved.

On my first visit, I was drawn to a handful of monuments one of which was the monument to Rufus Broome and his wife in the Broome family plot. The plot is nestled in the shade a cedar tree, a species with symbolic meaning in cemeteries. Part of the plot is surrounded by a low marble wall with a section adjacent surrounded by a marvelous ornamental iron fence in Gothic Revival style. Sections of the fence are completely intact while other sections are missing. Within the fence is the marvelous Gothic Revival monument to Colonel and Mrs. Broome.

The Rufus and N. W. Broome monument. The pillar that once
topped the tomb lies on the left with the pillar's base on the right.
Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

Colonel Broome first appears in the city’s history in 1836. The eight-year-old city of LaGrange was at that time on the frontier and still under threat from Muskogee or Creek Indians who still lived in villages just over the state line in present day Alabama. The Creek War of 1836 broke out among the Upper Creek who still lived in Alabama in response to the theft and deception of land speculators and settlers after the 1832 Treaty of Cusseta. Volunteers in LaGrange formed two companies of soldiers under the marvelously named Colonel Julius Caesar Alford who headed south to Columbus while Colonel Broome remained behind to defend the city. Women and children were barricaded in the newly built brick courthouse for protection. The courthouse briefly bore the name Fort Broome.

Street sign for Broome Street. The street runs alongside the old
Broome homestead at Broome and Main Streets. Photo 2011,
by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

Old LaGrange National Bank Building, sitting on
the site of the Broome homestead. Photo 2011,
Lewis Powell, IV, all rights reserved.

Broome was born in Nash County, North Carolina and had moved around a bit in east Georgia before he and his wife, Nancy Williams Pitts, moved to LaGrange in 1830. Broome was a planter and a merchant and served as one of the original trustees of the LaGrange Female Academy, predecessor to today’s LaGrange College. The family home, located at the corner of Main Street and Broome Street, was torn down for the LaGrange National Bank Building in 1917 which now houses the Troup County Legacy Museum and Historical Society. Broome died in 1855 and his wife, two years later.

Pillar in situ. Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV,
all rights reserved.

What attracted me to the monument was the marvelous Gothic Revival design. Most of the monuments in Hill View are of Neo-Classical or Victorian design, with less than a handful that are purely Gothic in nature. The monument is now in pieces, but originally it was a large base topped with a Gothic style pillar. The pillar now lies next to the large base, with the base of the pillar lying on the other side of the main base. Quite possibly, there was a finial topping the pillar, but a quick glance around the site does not reveal it.

Lower portion of the pillar with ivy leaf ornament. Photo 2011,
by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

Top portion of the pillar. Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV,
all rights reserved.

Base of the pillar, note the scoring in the marble. Photo 2011,
by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

Gothic architecture originated in the great Medieval cathedrals of Europe and, over time, spread to other buildings. The style saw a revival in Britain in the mid-18^th century with its popularity spreading to America in the mid-19^th century. Therefore, this monument is an early example of Gothic Revival. The pointed arch, used in cathedrals for its great strength, is one of the primary elements of this style. On the base of the monument, pointed arches are carved on all four sides. Each arch contains tracery, or ornamental interior support, in the form of a quatrefoil, a four petaled flower. To me, this flower appears to be a stylized dogwood (Cornus sp.). The tracery comes to a point with a stylized English ivy (Hedera helix) leaf which is also found on the pillar. The tracery also creates two arches within the main arch, which also may be symbolic. The whole arch is decorated on the outside with three curled acanthus (Acanthus spinosus) leaves on either side.

Tracery detail. Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV,
all rights reserved.

Detail of the dogwood-like flower in the tracery.
Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

There is a good deal of symbolism within this stone. The arch itself, being divided by the tracery into two smaller arches may be a symbol of a couple joined in holy matrimony, but further a larger whole divided in two may perhaps be a reference to the Trinity. The stylized dogwood would be a reference to the Crucifixion. The legend of dogwood says that wood from that tree was used to make the cross upon which Christ was crucified. In punishment, God caused the tree to whither and the flowers to bear the marks of the cross.

Closeup of the acanthus leaves. Photo 2011, by Lewis
Powell IV, all rights reserved.

The ivy leaf, in funerary art, symbolizes immortality and faithfulness as ivy is an evergreen. The acanthus leaf is also a symbol of immortality and rebirth. Combined, these two elements add not only symbolism, but a florid levity to the stringent Gothic lines. Overall, these elements create an aesthetically pleasing monument.

Signature of J. Baird. Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all
rights reserved.

It also should be noted that this stone is signed by the artist. A small signature reads, “J. BAIRD/PHIL.” A quick Google search revealed this to be John Baird of Philadelphia who operated a large operation carving headstones and monuments throughout the mid-late 19^th century. Certainly a stone with this grandeur and pedigree would have been expensive and spoken to the wealth of Colonel Broome and his family. It’s also interesting that the family would have gone as far as Philadelphia to procure a monument.

Grave of Julia Broome, died July 31, 1850. Photo
2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

Grave of Elizabeth Broome Craybill and infants.
Photo 2011, by Lewis Powell IV, all rights reserved.

The monument is surrounded by the graves a of the Broome’s children, including three daughters who died in their teens. Besides the minimalistic ledger graves which consist of slabs of marble, there is a neoclassical wreathed urn atop the grave of Elizabeth Broome Craybill and her infant children, a highly ornamented cradle grave for Julia Broome complete with a wreath of flowers and a fringed drape over the top and the simple headstone of Martha with a pointed arch and caps. This plot represents the range of architectural styles found in America around the middle of the 19^th century.

Inscriptions

“Front” side:

OUR

FATHER & MOTHER

Left side:

RUFUS BROOME

DIED JAN. 1, 1855

AGED 72 YEARS

Right side:

N. W. BROOME

BORN AUG. 28, 1798

DIED AUG. 31, 1857

Sources

Creek War of 1836. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

     Accessed 12 July 2011.

Funerary Art Symbolism. Oakdale Cemetery. Accessed

     12 July 2011.

Johnson, Forrest Clark, III. Histories of LaGrange and

     Troup County, Georgia, Vols. I & III. LaGrange, GA:

     Martha S. Anderson, 1987.

Johnson, Forrest Clark, III. Histories of LaGrange and

     Troup County, Georgia, Vol. VI: Memories in Marble:

     Hill View and Hill View Annex Cemeteries, LaGrange,

     Georgia. LaGrange, GA: Jackson Printing, 1993.

LaChiusa, Chuck. “Cemetery Symbols Found in

     Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, NY.” Buffalo as

     an Architectural Museum. 2002.

McAlester, Virginia & Lee. A Field Guide to American

     Houses. NYC: Knopf, 1984.