El Dorado, Arkansas

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  Anyone born in the 1970s, grew up and fell in love with the computer. These kids became the most computer savvy generation ever, simply because they grew up as the computer was growing up. Their generation had to learn those dorky computer languages, and they all learned how to take computers apart and put them back together. Arlington Cemetery. [2018]

Elkridge, Maryland

Give Me That Old-Time Technology: The sad thing is that computers used by our federal employees probably still look like this. Don't believe it? Just ask anyone who works for the government. When you think of infrastructure, think computer systems, not just roads and bridges. Meadowgrove Cemetery. [2018]

Seymour, Indiana

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  Remember how large the first generation of computer screens were? No better than a blackboard for displaying information, said some. Now, blackboards are teaching tools of the past, and computer screen have become smaller, flatter, and so portable. Don't you love this computer teacher's name? Riverview Cemetery. [2017]

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania

Give Me That Old-Time Technology: At one time you played a typewriter like you played a piano: It took physical force to move the keys. Then came the electronic typewriter where only a light touch was needed to imprint a letter on the page. The transition decade was the 1960s. Wellsboro Cemetery. [2013]

Charleston, Illinois

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  At the Doty Title Company, the upright typewriter was probably their best friend. The commercial typewriter came into prominence in the U.S. in the 1880s; it was first supplanted by the electric typewriter, and then by the computer keyboard; today in the U.S. (but not in the rest of the world) it is extinct. Rosemont Cemetery. [2017]

Florala, Alabama

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  A Midland Power Max followed its owner to the grave. Do you know what it is? A CB radio (which is not the same as Ham Radio). CB radios were especially popular during the 1970s. Now, we have mobile phones and the Internet. Chapel Hill Baptist Cemetery. [2017]

Carroll, Ohio

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  Ham radio shaped generations of men's lives. Right KA8KNV? For many it became almost an addiction. Right K3ODS? Ham stands for nothing more than "amateur." Betzer Cemetery. [2017]

Benson, Arizona

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  In terms of design, the wallkie-talkie (a World War II technology) seems like the real ancestor of today's cell phones. The headstone on which it is mounted appears to be a piece of pegmatite. High Street Cemetery. [2018]

Loxley, Alabama

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  Does anybody really want to go back to this? Now, even pushing buttons seems a little too much like work. And, it's so big! And, with two cords, it's like being on a leash. In its time, though, the touch-tone phone was the very definition of "modern." Greenwood Cemetery. [2017]

Balko, Oklahoma

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  In the 1960s, the dial gave way to push buttons, while size and shape remained the same. These touch-tone phones persisted well into the 21st century: not in people's homes but in offices everywhere. It is comforting to know that this skier can handily dial 911 if he is injured. Gray Cemetery. [2018]

Blair, Nebraska

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  Remember when telephones looked like this and were tethered to the wall with a cord? To commemorate those days, we still use the word "dial" when we ring somebody up. And those letters have remained remarkably useful too. Their original function was to designate the "exchange" through which your call was routed. Phone numbers took this format: CE4-8759, a mixture of letters and numbers, and definitely no area codes. The letters always stood for something, in this case perhaps CEdar. Holy Cross Cemetery. [2019]

Clinton, Mississippi

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  Remember analog phones? For a while, you were lucky if you had just one desk phone in your house, and you were even luckier if you had a private line! Most house phones shared a line with all the neighbors. If you picked up the receiver at just the right moment, you could covertly listen in on others' conversations. See how cemeteries can function as museums of technology? Clinton Cemetery. [2018]

Austin, Texas

Give Me That Old-Time Technology: Memorials are built to honor the people buried in cemeteries, but those memorials sometimes honor more than the deceased. September is the month for showing a little of that "old-time technology" that was good enough for all of us back in the day. Unless you are a baby boomer or older, though, you won't even know what some of that technology was supposed to do. Any guesses what this is? Here is a clue: a new technology for calculating square roots and more. Austin Memorial Park. [2015]