Walla Walla, Washington

Mercator's Birthday ~ March 5:  Happy Birthday, Gerard Kremer (a.k.a., Mercator)! This is where your scientific innovations have led: to maps so ubiquitous we find them in cemeteries everywhere. Shall we call this world map the Billy Goat projection or the Donaldson Projection? Mountain View Cemetery. [2019]

Mars Hill, North Carolina

Mercator's Birthday ~ March 5: The eagle, globe, and anchor constitute the emblem of the US Marine Corps. Mercator's know-how would have come in handy here. This version of the Western Hemisphere needs some high fidelity. Maps need to be semper fidelis to the globe they represent, not sloppy approximations. Mars Hill Cemetery. [2012]

Richmond, Massachusetts

Mercator's Birthday ~ March 5:  Why would this couple choose a world map for their headstone? Well before the Mercator Projection, we learned that maps could be manipulated to tell stories and serve our own interests. How does a Eurocentric map projection serve the interests of this couple? Richmond Center Cemetery. [2019]

Idaho Falls, Idaho

Mercator's Birthday ~ March 5: The ironic thing about a world globe is that it never allows you to see the world as a whole. You see only a hemisphere at a time. Enter Mercator: He came up with a system for displaying the round earth on flat paper, making it possible to cut and flatten the entire terrestrial surface. Rose Hill Cemetery. [2020]

Winchester, Kentucky

Mercator's Birthday ~ March 5: Mercator, a Flemish geographer, was born on this date in 1512. He was skilled at building globes but made his mark on history with his Mercator Projection, the grandfather of all modern world maps. Mercator's scientific mind modernized the world of mapmaking.  Since then, globes and maps have become symbolic of what goes on in classrooms everywhere. Winchester Cemetery. [2017]

Arlington, Virginia

Focus on Arlington National Cemetery:  Pierre Charles L'Enfamt was the immigrant who created the plan for the nation's capital. That plan is now on the memorial slab that marks L'Enfant's grave right outside Arlington House. It is a must-see sight for all cartophiles visiting the District of Columbia. Not only can you see the original plan, you can also look downhill and across the Potomac and and thereon to the city that took form first in the mind of the French-born military engineer who made himself useful in winning the American Revolution. If you are visiting, descend into the Metro at L'Enfant Plaza and take the Blue Line to the Arlington Cemetery Station. [2019]

Westphalia, Missouri

Identity Headwear ~ Baseball and Softball Players:  The batter's helmet is similar to the football helmet: It is worn only for short periods of time and under very specific circumstances. It is as tough as the person wearing it, and in this case the person is female. St. Jospeh Parish Cemetery. [2015]

Pine Grove, Pennsylvania

The Cemetery as an Aviary:  Wild turkeys are not a common component of tombstone art, but when you have an avid turkey hunter, they are exactly what you need to define your life for those who may not have known you personally. The turkey is a symbol of abundance, blessing, satisfaction, and community. It should not be surprising that Benjamin Franklin wanted to make it the national bird. Jacobs Lutheran Church Cemetery. [2017]

Meridian, Mississippi

The Lone Star Flag is Very Much Alive!  The Lone Star Flag is very much alive wherever you find transplanted Texans, including here in Mississippi. This is a group marker. It honors "the men from Texas who are known to be buried here and to all Texans who passed this way." The boldest type is reserved for this, however: "NOTHING IS ENDED UNTIL IT IS FORGOTTEN." What does that mean? That the Civil War isn't (and never will be) over? Rose Hill Cemetery. [2013]

Zanesville, Ohio

Celebrating the Flag and the Fourth with Music:  Independence Day stirs feelings of patriotism even in cemeteries, where American flags seem to be the perfect complement to holiday celebrations. When you see them, you may think of some patriotic tunes that fit the mood of the day. What's this one?
      "You're a grand old flag,
     You're a high flying flag
     And forever in peace may you wave.
     You're the emblem of
     The land I love,
     The home of the free and the brave."
Recognize it? If not click here. Woodland Cemetery. [2013]

Maryland LIne, Maryland

J is for Jones:  Jones is the fifth most common family name in the United States. Over the past century, Richard was the seventh most common name given to boys. Jones derives from "son of John," and Richard derives from "brave ruler." This Richard may not have been a brave ruler, but it looks like he was a brave firefighter! Methodist Protestant Cemetery. [2013]

Waco, Texas

Singling Out Historical Individuals:  The Texas Historical Commission has seen fit to use a city cemetery to teach some history, in this case something about Thomas Hudson Barron, one of the earliest settlers in the Waco area. How do you like this line about his first wife? "Elizabeth died after giving birth to twelve children." His second wife bore him 10 more. Depending on how many survived, there's a possibility that all Anglos in Texas have Barron in their family tree! First Street Cemetery. [2012]

London, England

Focus on Bunhill Fields Burial Ground:  His cap betrays his employer: the City of London. He is one of the groundskeepers at Bunhill Fields, but he also doubles as 'attendant with key.' Want to see the grave of the father of Bayesian statistics or the mother of John Wesley? He will unlock the gate and take you there. In other words: Conform to the rules! Non-conformists not welcome. Or it might just be a conservation measure. On the map below, all graves along the winding white paths are closed to the public unless you find an attendant. [2015]

Atlanta, Georgia

Focus on Oakland Cemetery:  Although no longer segregated, there continues to be a 'Black section' at Oakland, and here is one of the recent memorials to be implanted there. Look up Ollivette Eugenia Smith Allison, then figure out for yourself the symbolism of the mother elephant and her calf. It's an inspiring story. How can cemeteries keep inspiring stories like this alive? [2014]

Atlanta, Georgia

Focus on Oakland Cemetery:  The old Jewish section of Oakland was set aside at the request of the Atlanta's original Jewish temple. The new Jewish section is much less crowded and has far fewer Hebrew inscriptions. [2014]

Laramie, Wyoming

Green Hill Cemetery:  Not only do we have a map here, we have a conservation problem that is typical for granite headstones in dry regions. Out-a-limb hypothesis: feldspar in granite that has not been polished (lines, letters, images) is undergoing chemical weathering as rain water (slightly acidic) pools in cuts, becomes a clay-ey solution, and leaves a trail as it evaporates while weeping. Now, please, let's have an expert's assessment. . . . [2013]

Dunham, Quebec

Maps on the Landscape:  The burial place is in the province of Quebec, but the map is from Nova Scotia. Cape Breton was probably the place where he was not only born, but also grew up. The island left a lasting imprint on his life. Could we say it made him who he was? [2011]

Island of Cape Breton
Bras d'Or

Boliver, New York

Maps on the Landscape:  What is commemorated on this headstone happened again and again during and after World War II as hundreds of thousands of American soldiers came home with war brides. Most the time grave yard visitors are completely unaware of such dynamics, but here is a couple who speaks pridefully from the grave about their intercontinental marriage and their roots in different cultures. Maple Lawn Cemetery. [2013]

New York, United States of America

Lorraine, France

Niagara Falls, Ontario

Maps on the Landscape:  It seems that Canadians take their national identities to the grave with them much more frequently than Americans. In fact, you can see how agglomerative tendencies shape the landscape of many burial places as people from particular nations, including Bulgaria, are grouped into their own neighborhoods. Occasionally, you're lucky enough to find a map. Niagara Falls Cemetery. [2013]

Waycross, Georgia

Field of Dreams ~ The Gridiron:  There was a time in his life when he would have owned that field and defended that goal like a bulldog. Now, the gridiron, as a symbol of youthful prowess, blankets his grave with memories. What football hero wouldn't want to be buried under the 50 yard line? Oakland Cemetery. [2012]