Tag Archives: Symbolism

-Illinois, Cemeteries, Historic Photos, Symbolism

A Memorial to a Circus Train Accident in Forest Park, Illinois

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On June 22, 1918, one of the worst train accidents in United States history happened near Hammond, Indiana. While it was the worst circus accident in US history, it was only the third worst US train accident in 1918. Early in the morning, an empty troop train (a military train used to carry personnel and supplies) crashed into the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus train, that had stopped to address mechanical issues. The troop train’s conductor had fallen asleep and missed signals to stop. The accident killed 85 people and injured over 100 more.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Just five years earlier, the fraternal order Showmen’s League of America was formed in Chicago for outdoor showmen. They purchased a large 750 lot section in Woodlawn Cemetery. It was here where the mass funeral of the circus performers and staff were held. According to The Indianapolis News (June 25, 1918), 57 people were buried in the cemetery. Unfortunately, many people were not identified. The circus held a large funeral, and the unidentified bodies were placed in a mass grave. For those who could be identified, they were placed in individual graves.

Image from The Chicago Tribune

The section is still being utilized today. If you ever decide to visit, the section is at the front of the cemetery. The section is flanked by four elephants with downturned trunks, which represents mourning.

-North Carolina, Cemeteries, Symbolism

James Graham Kenan Mausoleum-Wilmington, North Carolina

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This is the stately plot of the Kenan family. Outside of the mausoleum, there are family members buried in the large circular plot. It is located in the Oakdale Cemetery. The winged cherub at the top of the mausoleum represents innocence.

-Georgia, Cemeteries, Churches and Temples, Symbolism

Piney Woods Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery-Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia

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Fulton County

Founded in 1852, the Piney Woods Primitive Baptist Church is located in the crossroads town called Rico, which now makes up the town Chattahoochee Hills. It has a mixture of box slab crypts, seashell-covered graves, field stone markers, and traditional late 1800s headstones.

The church moved from the site by 1856, but the cemetery remained active until 1900. One side of the cemetery contains burials with no markers. It’s believed they are for men and women born into slavery of the church’s founders and the town of Rico.

The seashell-covered graves were a Southern phenomenon. In the Christian tradition, they represent a person’s travels through life, and the final passage involves crossing water into the promised land. An article that provides further details can be read here.

-Georgia, Cemeteries, Famous People, National Register of Historic Places, Symbolism

Flannery O’Connor at Memory Hill Cemetery-Milledgeville, Georgia

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Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964) was an American writer for her novels and short stories. Her final resting place is next to her parents in Memory Hill Cemetery in Milledgeville, Georgia. Despite being born in Savannah, Milledgeville was Flannery’s home. Her family moved there when she was fifteen and lived there until her passing at 39. Her childhood home and the family farm, Andalusia, still stand in Milledgeville.

Whenever I’ve visited her grave, there have been flowers and other mementos. When I took this photo, someone(s) had left behind coins as a sign that someone visited. The IHS symbol stands for Iesus Hominum Salvator, which means Jesus, savior of mankind, or it can stand for the first three letters of Jesus’s name, iota eta sigma.

-Georgia, Cemeteries, Historic Photos, Symbolism

New Park Cemetery-Fort Gaines, Georgia

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Founded in 1860, New Park Cemetery is one of the early cemeteries in Fort Gaines, Georgia. The cemetery contains many examples of markers representing the years it’s been active. One of the more unusual aspects of the cemetery is that there is a Victorian gazebo built in 1880 that sits atop a Native American burial ground, believed to be at least 1000 years old. Like the Kolomoki Mounds, it is believed this was built by the Swift Creek and Weeden Island people.

An example of the iron work in the cemetery.
Col. James Bennett, 1800-1860. The hourglass with wings symbolizes that our time on earth is limited.
Designed by C. W. Morris, the gazebo was built on top of a Native American mound in 1880. This photo is courtesy of the Digital Library of Georgia. When I visited, I did not realize the gazebo was more than a place for reflection, so I did not photograph it. The gazebo reminds me of the Sautee Nacoochee Indian Mound outside of Helen, Georgia.
-Georgia, Cemeteries, Symbolism

The Chance Children’s Marker-Millen, Georgia

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Infant and maternal mortality rates were incredibly high in the 1800s. Pearl and Enon Chance had three children in 1892, 1893, and 1894. This grave marker in the Millen City Cemetery honors them. All were lost during childbirth. At this time in the United States, out of 1000 births, 281 infants would die (statista.com, n.d.).

The maternal mortality rate hovered around 25 deaths out of 1000 in the late 1800s. Pearl Chance died approximately one month after giving birth to her fourth child in 1896. That child, Mary Pearl Chance Hopkins, lived to be 99. (Here is a visualization of maternal death over the years.)

Because death was so frequent during the Victorian age, symbolism would be used on grave markers. Often portrayed as the “eternal sleep,” the use of pillows, as seen here, is quite common. While this is not a cradle for an infant, the infant has been placed on what looks to be a small bed. This also would convert the “eternal rest.”

One thing about this monument is that the children rest by themselves. The mother, Pearl Chance, was laid to rest in Waynesboro, Georgia. Waynesboro and Millen are twenty miles apart. The Chance family was of means so that they could travel easily. I’ve always wondered about this. The Chance family was influential in Waynesboro. Census records did not help me understand this mystery.