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| Hand Crafted Metal Angels |
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| Glowing Cross |
If
you wander through the newer sections of some Midwestern cemeteries, you may
see a few wire or metal pieces; sculptured and shaped, positioned near
graves. These may take the form of crosses, hearts, angels, even fish.
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| Free Form Heart |
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| Metal Flower |
Many
wire pieces have been purchased from garden supply stores and used as a special
tribute to the person buried there. But some have been lovingly, and patiently,
hand–crafted.
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| Elaborate Metal Cemetery Entrance |
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| Arched Metal Cemetery Entrance |
There
is something permanent yet graceful about using wire or iron. This could be why so many older
cemeteries have the names spelled out in metal with simple or elaborate gates
and arches at the entrances.
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| Silver Metal Crosses |
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| Black Iron Cross |
For
many years, iron or metal crosses were used instead of the more traditional
wooden or stone markers.
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| Hook for Flowers |
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| Heart with Flags |
Some
pieces consist of a shepherds crook from which to hang flowers – or flags.
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| Black Iron Heart |
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| Iron Heart |
Other
pieces have been fashioned out of iron and pounded into the desired shape.
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| Heart with Name |
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| Initials with Flowers |
Bendable
wire is the main material used, the shapes come from someone’s desire to share
a little bit about the deceased…a name, or initials.
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| Hand Crafted Metal Fish |
A
hobby, such as fishing, may be sculpted from metal.
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| Hook with Hummingbird |
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| Hook with Bird |
Birds may indicate the grave of a bird-lover.....
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| Joined Birds |
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| Metal Sculpted Birds |
Or the soul taking wing to soar......
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| Chain Fashioned into Hook |
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| Metal Flywheel |
Even unusual metal objects that depicted someone's profession, or the tools of their trade have been used.
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| Metal Message in Heart |
Sometimes
a heart-felt message is left…
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| Hearts and Cross |
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| Metal Hat & Flowers on Hooks |
In
some cemeteries, these folk art remembrances abound.
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| May 22, 1920 |
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| Cemetery without Metal Pieces |
In
others, there’s not a trace of them.
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| Hand Crafted Heart |
But all
of these cemetery folk art pieces are a way to tell a story about someone; or maybe a way to assist the craftsman
in dealing with the loss of someone special – a tribute to them, a
remembrance.
~
Joy
The
idea of this blog post came about after two very dear friends took my husband
and I to the graves of their premature triplets. They wanted more than just a stone with names and a date, but weren’t
sure what. After some
consideration they decided on angels.
The result was three detailed wire angel sculptures the father hand
crafted individually and then joined together – two boys with blue ribbon halos, and one girl with a white halo.
The
father also crafted the three joined fish for his grandfather who was a
fisherman. Both metal sculptures - lasting labors of love.
The
idea of this blog post came about after two very dear friends took my husband
and I to the graves of their premature triplets. They wanted more than just a stone with names and a date, but weren’t
sure what. After some
consideration they decided on angels.
The result was three detailed wire angel sculptures the father hand
crafted individually and then joined together – two boys with blue ribbon halos, and one girl with a white halo. 
