The hallmark of Stamps Cemetery is the comb graves or tent graves. It’s one of several cemeteries in the South that contain this vernacular form of a grave marker that forms this pyramid shape. They are found almost exclusively in the Appalachian Mountains, most of them in Tennessee. The reason why they were built this way is not known, but it is suspected that Scottish-Irish burial traditions influenced them. It is also speculated that they served a more practical purpose of protecting the graves from wandering livestock.
One interesting aspect of this cemetery that differentiates it from other cemeteries with comb graves is that some headstones have a five-pointed star. A star can represent the crucifixion, the star of Bethlehem, or Christianity. Since some of the stars are inverted downwards, some believe it’s a pentagram. Consequently, the cemetery became known as “The Witch’s Graveyard.” I am more apt to believe it was done because there was a limited understanding of how the star should be drawn, or they were embracing the idea that a point facing downward symbolized Jesus descending upon Earth as the North rose.
