Windsor, Connecticut

Halloween Cometh:  There is a direct, positive correlation between cemeteries and Halloween. Right? Not that Americans go to the cemeteries as Mexicans do during this holiday season, but much of the pop culture that surrounds the day comes from the graveyard. Elm Grove Cemetery. [2013]

Happy Halloween
Keep Rockin The Heavens

Springfield, Massachusetts

Halloween Cometh:  For certain holidays, the grave has an especially potent draw of its own. What would All Hallows' Eve be without cemeteries to fuel our imaginations? It is a time to remember the dead, and a little humor might just help rekindle cherished memories. Won't you give this imaginative tableau a hand? Oak Grove Cemetery. [2013]

 

Beautiful Angel
We Will Miss You

Rainelle, West Virginia

Secular Portals ~ At The End of The Trail Cemetery:  Now, there's a name that could be hoisted above any cemetery anywhere.  But, it seems to be an innovation without diffusion.  There seems to be only one End of the Trail Cemetery, so the question to ask is:  Why?  Names like Beautiful View and Oak Lawn proliferate.  Names like this don't.  [2010]

State Line, Maryland

Secular Portals ~ Beautiful View Cemetery:  Cemetery names are often used to balance the darkness of death. 'Beautiful View,' sans cemetery, might make someone consider buying a house on property like this. And, if the psychology works for the real estate market, it should also work for the sale of cemetery plots. With a name like Beautiful View, you can feel proud of the place where you plant your loved ones. [2012]

Bloomfield, New Mexico

Secular Portals ~ Municipal Cemeteries:  There was a time when cemeteries were maintained almost exclusively by churches or families. But, as far back as the colonial era, local governments found it necessary to provide land for burials. At first, municipal cemeteries were located right in town, then right outside of town and often on a hill top if one was available. Very often, municipal cemeteries are branded with the locality's name. Bloomfield Cemetery. [2013]

San Diego, California

Focus on Home of Peace Cemetery:  Jewish headstones tend to be tidy and traditional. Rarely do they draw on popular culture for their imagery. Here are some elements of design to look for: (a) pictorial symbols such as the six-pointed star and contiguous hands, (b) the Hebrew language, (c) epitaphs tied to the Hebrew narrative (with emphasis here on ethics, loving kindness, and light), (d) a five-letter Hebrew acronym which stands for "May the soul be bound up in eternal life," and (e) a Hebrew "Here Lies" right before the name. [2013]

San Diego, California

Focus on Home of Peace Cemetery:  The headstone here finds itself in the middle of a web of relationships: to world history, to languages, to family, and to the arts.  Both made aliyah in the 1930s; they were part of the return migration of the exiles to their 'promised land.' In two languages are they honored: English and Hebrew, the former indicative of loyalty to the U.S. and the latter indicative of loyalty to Judaism. Each was loved by children and grandchildren. Note, especially, the very possessive our.  Both were recognized as talented artists, but Benjamin's monochrome takes center stage as a bridge between husband and wife. Do you know why the bouquet of roses fits so well? Shoshana, in Hebrew, means 'rose.' By coincidence, as well, the historic Jewish neighborhood in San Diego was Roseville, founded by Louis Rose. [2013]

San Diego, California

Focus on Home of Peace Cemetery:  Lots of laws (religious, that is) surround Jewish burials: purification of the remains, rending the garments, inhumation within 24 hours, no cremation, no above-ground burial, and interment only among fellow Jews. Sometimes, Jewish burial grounds are separate cemeteries of their own. Other times, they are sections of larger cemeteries. Home of Peace opened in 1892 when a corner of Mount Hope Cemetery was sold to a local congregation. [2013]

Texarkana, Arkansas

Voices Silenced:  Respect from a friend as recorded in the ether: "Larry Kent died in 2003 after a four-month battle with cancer. Larry was the consummate pro, starting here in Texarkana in the early 1960s. He moved back here to run the family music store when his father died. He started his own consulting firm in 1996. Larry was a good friend and one of radio's best." State Line Cemetery. [2012]

Radio's Larry Kent

Blanding, Utah

Voices Silenced:  He could talk to his wife, who sat knitting across the room. Or, he could talk to the world through the mic on his desk. He was born in the decade when commercial radio began to monetize the air waves, but he was content to pioneer those same airwaves as two-way communication bands, thus setting the stage for all of the interactive communication technologies we have today. Blanding City Cemetery. [2013]

Aurora, Colorado

Voices Silenced:  The microphone, the infectious smile, the dancing double notes: They seem to contradict the symbolism of the bench. Was this someone at rest or someone who kept the world moving? Probably the latter, and probably the earth slowed down just a little bit with his passing. St. Simeon Catholic Cemetery. [2013]

Rest in Paradise Baby Boy
Love Mom
Our Love Will Reign With You For Eternity
Love Dad

Freeland, Maryland

Dead End Street:  Never more true. . .
Mount Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery. [2013]

Sulphur Springs, Texas

One Way Do Not Enter:  Good advice. . .
Sulphur Springs City Cemetery.  [2012]