13 Grave Markers With Descriptions

It is amazing, the different shapes and styles of cemetery stones you can find in the graveyard. Here is a list of some of the most common, and some of the more unique.

Box Tomb

Box Tombs

This is a rectangular shaped above ground grave marker, sometimes constructed of brick or stone with four sides and a slab top. There is no “floor,” and the body is buried below ground. This style is very popular in the eastern and southern parts of the U.S.

White Bronze Cradle Grave

Cradle Grave Marker

Curbing, or small walls, surround the grave and usually incorporates the headstone in the design. The interior was then filled with live flowers. Many now sprout weeds since left unattended; others have been filled with concrete to keep a “clean” look about them. Despite the name, a cradle grave does not indicate that a child is buried here. Today, they are called kerbed headstones.

Flat Stone

Flat Headstones

These markers lay directly on the ground, which makes mowing easier. You will find many of these were created from cement with names and dates hand-carved into the marker during the Depression years.

Gateway Arch

Gateway Headstone

This stone is usually seen on the graves of a married couple. It is made up of two columns connected by an arch. It also known as “The Portal to Eternity.”

Grave House

Grave Houses

A grave house is a building constructed over a grave to protect it from the elements and, at one time, grave robbers. The structure resembles a tiny house with walls and a roof; many have small windows and a door. Others have tiny openings, which are known as spirit windows. 

Individualistic Markers

These began with angels and lions, guarding mausoleums and above ground markers. Today, they take a decidedly personal approach as seen by these figures and icons representing the souls of those whose graves they mark.

Ledger Stone

Ledger with Cut-Away

Flat Ledger Stone

This flat, rectangular stone is laid directly upon the ground and covers the grave completely. The top is used for inscriptions or cut out designs.

Monolith Marker

Monolith Stone

This is an upright stone placed upon a base. It is very common in the cemetery.

Obelisk

Obelisk

These four-sided towering spires were popular in the 19^th century and were a part of the Egyptian Revival Movement; notice the top tapers into the shape of a pyramid. These stones usually mark the graves of those who had standing, and money, in the community.

Pulpit Gravestone

Pulpit Stone

Pulpit Tree Stone

This stone has a slanted surface and resembles a lectern. They may also look like an open book. Many people assume that the book is a bible but not necessarily; it can also represent “The Book of Life.”

Pyramid

Pyramid

There are several variations of this marker but all take their influences from the Egyptian Revival Movement of the 19^th Century. The style is still considered rare in cemeteries.

Detailed Sarcophagus

Sarcophagus

This stone receptacle is placed on a pedestal and has inscriptions and designs engraved upon it. This marker was very popular from the latter part of the 19^th Century up until the 1950s in the U.S.

Tree Stone

WOW Emblem

Tree Stone

These carved markers resemble tree trunks or stumps with vining ivy, severed branches, and other icons that tell a story about the person buried there. The tree stone was adopted by Modern Woodmen of America and Woodmen of the World, but a stone does not signify that someone belonged to either organization unless their emblem is on it.

 

Now, head out to a cemetery this weekend and see what you discover.

~ Joy

My Old Kentucky Home - Federal Hill, Bardstown, Kentucky

Federal Hill Mansion

In honor of October being the month of Halloween - and other things spooky - all of my blogs this month have dealt with a haunted location and the cemetery that ties into the story.

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Just east of Bardstown, Kentucky is the former plantation of U.S. Senator John Rowan.  Rowan and his wife, Ann Lytle, began building their mansion in 1795 and named it ‘Federal Hill’ after Rowan’s political views as a Federalist.    ‘Federal Hill’ was designed in true Federalist style.  There are thirteen windows across the front of the house, the ceilings are thirteen feet high and the walls are 13 inches thick. Each staircase has 13 steps.

But the number 13 may have proven to be unlucky for Rowan.  In 1801, Rowan was playing cards with Dr. James Chambers when harsh words were exchanged and led to the challenge of a duel between the two.  Rowan apologized for his comments but Chambers insisted that the duel be held.  Rowan survived, but his promising political career almost didn’t.  He was tried for the murder of Chambers, but the judge found insufficient evidence to convict him.  It was over a year later, before Rowan was appointed to serve in the Kentucky House of Representatives.

John Rowan

Throughout his life, Rowan served in many state and national offices. He served as a Kentucky state judge, Chief Justice for the Court of Appeals, Kentucky Secretary of State, as a representative in the U.S. House and as a U.S. Senator.  In all, he served for forty years in political life.

Epitaph

Rowan loved Federal Hill and felt that the mansion stood as a monument and testament to his ideas and beliefs.  He stated in his will, he did not want a monument or any type of marker on his grave.  He said that since his parents did not have a marker, he did not want to be honored above them by having one.  On July 13, 1843, Rowan died and was buried at Federal Hill Cemetery near his home.  Friends and family did not adhere to his wishes for an unmarked grave. A tall obelisk monument with a lengthy and glowing epitaph was placed at his gravesite.

Rowan's Monument

But by autumn, the stone had fallen over.  Stonemasons were called to repair the monument and return it to its base. Again and again, the obelisk fell to the ground.  The toppling of the monument became so common that worker refused to assist in setting it back in place, fearing that Rowan was indeed displeased by the large monument. 

Rumor has it that the stone is still known to tip over without provocation, and is just as quietly put back in place.  It appears that John Rowan meant what he said almost 170 years ago – his home was the only monument he wanted to be remembered by.

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But what is Federal Hill truly remembered for?

Stephen Foster

Original Sheet Music

It was in 1852, almost ten years after John Rowan died that his cousin; Stephen Foster paid a visit to Federal Hill.  It was rumored that during this visit, Foster was inspired to write the minstrel song, “My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night.”  It was published in 1853 and performed by Christy’s Minstrels.  Although many of the songs that Foster wrote had Southern themes, he never lived in the South and only visited the area once.

Sheet Music

“My Old Kentucky Home” was adopted as the state song of Kentucky in 1928.  It was in 1986 when Kentucky Representative Carl Hines sponsored a bill to revise the lyrics, changing the word ‘darkies’ to ‘people.’

Federal Hill in the Twenties

Federal Hill was sold to the state of Kentucky in 1920 and was called “My Old Kentucky Home.”   In 1936 it was transferred to the Division of State Parks where it became known as “My Old Kentucky Home State Park.”

The longest running outdoor musical, “Stephen Foster- The Musical” plays during the summer months at the state park amphitheater.  Started in 1959, the show runs from June through August each year.

Federal Hill was featured on a 29 cent U.S. postage stamp in 1992, and is now depicted on the back of the Kentucky state quarter, released in 2002.

The Federal Hill Mansion and Cemetery are open to the public.  Please check their website for days and times. http://www.parks.ky.gov/parks/recreationparks/old-ky-home/default.aspx

~ Joy