Showing posts with label graves outlines with curbing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label graves outlines with curbing. Show all posts

Friday, March 7, 2014

Cradle Graves: Not Just for Children


As a Tombstone Tourist, I love to wander cemeteries, looking for historical, artistic and cultural finds. Although I’ve seen these rectangular shaped graves for years, I only recently learned that it is known as a cradle grave.




Headboard and Footboard
Plain Curbing
On some cradle graves, the top is designed to resemble the headboard of a bed and the bottom looks like the footboard. Plain or decorative curbing or molding can also be used to outline a single grave in the shape of a bed; hence these graves are also known as bed graves.



Cement Cradle Grave
Cradle graves began appearing in American cemeteries in early part of the 1800s. This type of marker became popular during the Civil War, but by the 1920’s, they were disappearing from the cemetery scene. Although they can be found throughout the US, cradle graves were more popular in the South and Midwest regions.





Child's Cradle Grave
Adult Cradle Grave
Despite the name, cradle graves were not just for children. Adult graves were also marked in this manner.








White Bronze Cradle Grave
Leaves and Grass on Cradle Grave
The empty space between the curbed sides was usually filled with “blanket plantings” – flowers, grasses, or bushes that filled up the inside of the cradle grave, giving it the full and lush appearance of a bedspread, from spring through fall. In the winter, snow would take on the appearance of a blanket drifting over the grave.



Overgrown White Bronze
Neglected White Bronze
Cradle graves can be found in all types of cemeteries but most are no longer cared for or maintained. A shame since the choice of such a marker indicates someone had hopes that the grave would be tended for years to come …

~ Joy