Graveyard Christmas

Geese with a monument of the Evangelists. Old Brooklyn (Cleveland), Ohio.

Bases alone

The ravages of time, neglect, and malice cause ruins. People bury their loved ones with a thought of dignity, and remembrance. That dignity, and remembrance is meant to last for more than a moment; often it is meant to outlast all the survivors of those whom are buried. That is why the date of death is recorded with the name.

These stones have only the bases remaining. So, we see the construction. The left one is for a stone that is slotted into a base. That stone is tabbed on its bottom. The right one has two posts, or spikes that connect marker stone with the base.

Handshakers

Again, certain visual symbols are seen upon stones. In certain time periods, some have a greater frequency. The period (1865-1914), i address, is that of the post War for Union, and ante the War to end all Wars. One is that of two hands shaking. Hand shaking is a visible sign of greeting by friends, or those wish to be seen as such.

Now, some hand shaking shows up with fraternal organisations. This is one on a married couple. The clothing cuffs are different to suggest one is feminine, and one masculine. Now, in some churches a sign of peace is exchanged; often it is a hand shake with strangers. Somehow a handshake does not seem the sign of affection for a married couple. Well, perhaps we are fortunate that here it is an euphemistic symbol, and not anatomical accuracy that is portrayed.

By the fence

This grave has a newborn babe, and her newborn kid brother. The stone came two (?) years after the first child's death. It is a small, dignified stone sitting for almost a century.

Grand funerals are not had by all. The poor die too. This foto tells us several things, some by reconfirmation: by the fence is not a good spot; sometimes, it is less maintained; the property next to it may not be so good. It is no surprise to see the the poor are buried by the fence.

This spot is in the southeast corner of Cleveland's Monroe Street Cemetery. The ground slopes downward to railroad tracks. The tracks are the southern property line, and they make almost a 'v', so that the line is not parallel to Monroe Street. Along this fence, there are several gaps. Over the years, children and bums have made their way through. Next to this stone, there is an animal hole. The southern third, or fourth of the graveyard is almost riddled with such burrows.

Replacing an elk at an Elks Rest

the old elk statue stares over a maintenance building

W. H. Mullins Company of Salem, Ohio made this first statue. In a 1993 Ohio outdoor sculpture survey, given to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, it was noted that the legs had split and were patched with cement; also an antler repair was made. Since then the legs split again, revealing the pipe skeleton. In a ceremony, at Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery, a new bronze elk was dedicated on Memorial Day 2010.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge 18 Willoughby-Cleveland communal graves are marked with a new bronze elk

slabstone with the elk's logo making the hour of recollection (11 p.m.)

The Elks formed in the US in 1868 in New York City mostly of actors. The club came from the previous Jolly Corks. One legacy is the 11th hour toast, "To our absent Brothers". The last hour of the day, is the hour before midnight. They often sing 'Auld Lang Syne' after the toast.

Perhaps this poetic melancholy within a fraternity inspired the community's burial spots within cemeteries. There are four in Ohio (one in Cleveland at Lake View Cemetery) and several more throughout the country. In these spots, it is common for the members to have an elk statue.