This practical volume focuses on the study of historic burial ground monuments but also covers some below ground archaeology, as some projects will involve the study of both. It will be an incomparable source for academic archaeologists, cultural resource and heritage management archaeologists, government heritage agencies, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students of archaeology focused on the historic or post-medieval period, as well as forensic researchers and anthropologists.
This illustrated guidebook to New Jersey's old burial grounds is unique, not just for New Jersey, but for anywhere in America. Janice Kohl Sarapin introduces you to the history and lore of old graveyards. She shows you how to read epitaphs, how to date gravestones by style, how to restore an abandoned graveyard, and how to find out the stories of the people buried there. She describes more than 120 fascinating old burial grounds throughout the state (including the cemeteries of African-Americans, Jewish communities, and other ethnic and religious groups). She provides full directions and details about what makes each one special as well as suggestions for planning your visit and for educational activities to use with children and adults.
A Graveyard Preservation Primer has proven itself to be a time-tested resource for those who are seeking information regarding the protection and preservation of historic graveyards. It was first written to help stewards of early burial grounds responsibly and effectively preserve their graveyards. Much information found in the first edition of the book remains valid today. Still, much has changed in the twenty-five years since its first publication, and the new edition reflects these changes. Attitudes and the understanding of historic graveyards as an important cultural resource have grown and developed over the years. Likewise, changes in treatments have also taken place. Perhaps the most dramatic change in burial ground preservation is in the world of technology. Changes in computers and the way we use them have also changed preservation practices in historic graveyards. Discussion of technological changes in the new edition includes those in mapping, surveying, photography, archaeology, and other areas of evaluation and planning. Consideration is given, too, to maintenance and conservation treatments, including both traditional and newer treatments for stone, concrete, and metals. Metals were not discussed in the earlier editions, and protection and preservation of the landscape as it relates to graveyards is an expanded focus of this book. The historic preservation of cemeteries and burial grounds is an aspect within the discipline of historic preservation that is unknown to many. Those whose responsibility is the care of these historic sites may be unfamiliar with appropriate approaches to such areas as documentation, planning, maintenance, and conservation. Unwitting personnel can do irreparable harm to these important cultural resources. The Primer is an effort to protect historic cultural resources by breaching the gap between maintenance staff, cemetery boards, friends’ groups, and graveyard preservation professionals by offering readily available, responsible information regarding graveyard protection and preservation. It is also designed to assist those who would undertake a preservation project in the reclaiming of a neglected or abandoned historic cemetery. The book is generously illustrated with diagrams and photos illustrating procedures and gravemarker and graveyard forms, styles, and materials. The appendix section is completely updated and expanded, offering a worthwhile resource in itself.
Trying to find some peace in the City That Never Sleeps"" has always been difficult-even for dead New Yorkers. Rapid development, rising property values, a lack of space, health concerns, and government regulation have all conspired to move the dead from one graveyard to the next. The Graveyard Shift: A Family Historian's Guide to New York City Cemeteries documents the changing landscape of New York City cemeteries, telling the story behind each decision to move, as well as providing the new names and locations of each burial ground. This book, with its complete index, is an invaluable tool for anyone researching New York City ancestors.""
Graveyard Gothic is the first sustained consideration of the graveyard as a key Gothic locale. This volume examines various iterations of the Gothic graveyard (and other burial sites) from the eighteenth century to the twenty-first, as expressed in numerous forms of culture and media including poetry, fiction, TV, film and video games. The volume also extends its geographic scope beyond British traditions to accommodate multiple cultural perspectives, including those from the US, Mexico, Japan, Australia, India and Eastern Europe. The seventeen chapters from key international Gothic scholars engage a range of theoretical frameworks, including the historical, material, colonial, political and religious. With a critical introduction offering a platform for further scholarship and a coda mapping potential future critical and cultural developments, Graveyard Gothic is a landmark volume defining a new area of Gothic studies.
"History of Graveyards" delves into the fascinating and poignant world of burial grounds, tracing the cultural, architectural, and spiritual aspects of these hallowed places through time. From prehistoric burial practices to the evolution of cemetery traditions across civilizations, this insightful book offers a comprehensive exploration of how societies have honored their deceased and embraced the mysteries of mortality. Discover the ancient burial rituals of civilizations like Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece, where elaborate tombs and funerary monuments immortalized the departed. Uncover the sacred significance of churchyards in medieval Europe and their artistic expression through tombstone symbolism and mourning customs. Explore the diversity of burial traditions worldwide, from Islamic maqbaras and Hindu cremation rituals to Asian pagodas and Native American burial mounds. Learn about the evolving architectural designs of cemeteries and the emergence of landscaped memorial parks. Delve into the cultural beliefs, superstitions, and folklore associated with graveyards, from spirits and hauntings to protective talismans and magical healing practices. Witness the impact of historical events like plagues and wars on graveyard landscapes and the rise of Victorian-era grave art. As we journey through time, "History of Graveyards" celebrates the enduring beauty and significance of these sacred spaces, shedding light on their role in preserving cultural identity and the collective memory of communities. Whether you're an enthusiast of history, architecture, or cultural heritage, this captivating book immerses you in the rich tapestry of human experiences, emotions, and beliefs surrounding the cycle of life and death. It serves as a poignant reminder that graveyards are not just resting places for the departed but living reflections of the shared human experience across the ages.
Where more poignantly than in a small country graveyard can a traveler fathom the flow of history and tradition? During the past twenty years, Terry G. Jordan has traveled the back roads and hidden trails of rural Texas in search of such cemeteries. With camera in hand, he has visited more than one thousand cemeteries created and maintained by the Anglo-American, black, Indian, Mexican, and German settlers of Texas. His discoveries of sculptured stones and mounds, hex signs and epitaphs, intricate landscapes and unusual decorations represent a previously unstudied and unappreciated wealth of Texas folk art and tradition. Texas Graveyards not only marks the distinct ethnic and racial traditions in burial practices but also preserves a Texas legacy endangered by changing customs, rural depopulation, vandalism, and the erosion of time.
Legends of abandoned old graveyards and some not so abandoned abound-the crying dog in the cemetary well, the wandering ghost of Long Tom March, who carries a deck of cards and won't rest until he finds a winning poker hand. Next to a graveyard where an arm is buried, the old piano in the fogotten church plays. These and other tales along with some more recent real-life experiences will intrigue you, skeptic or not. Read the tales with an open mind. They are for pleasure, a bit of paranormal, a little seriousness, and hopefully a laugh or two. If you are a nonbeliever in the supernatural, you may change your skepticism is etched in stone. Then again the author learned that nothing is etched in stone forever. This humorous book also includes some unusual coffins, tombstones, and epitaphs as well as some early Texas burial traditions.
Mount Calvary Cemetery's 40 acres of sprawling land has been the final resting place of prominent citizens, religious figures, and even the notorious for over 142 years. Many of those interred here were Catholic immigrants that settled in Columbus long before it became the city of a million people. They built homes, established businesses, and sought a higher level of education, becoming lawyers, politicians, doctors, and businessmen. One became "the voice of the 1920s," and several streets throughout the city were named after others. For every image carved in majestic stone or simple marker engraved with a name and date, there is the untold story of an individual who made Columbus the great city it is today.
