A Stone to Mark a Life
By Susan B. Griffith
4 Aug 2012
"Now I lay you down to rest, deep within this dark earth's breast"...So it was for families and friends of U. S. President James Garfield and his wife, John D. Rockefeller, Eliot Ness, and many others who have found their final resting places in historic Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.
Founded in 1869 on 285 acres of rural hilly land in eastern Cleveland, it now is considered the city's outdoor museum. Today, visitors travel up and down the cemetery's paved roads to stop and walk amongst the graves of people and families pivotal in politics, industry and development of the city and region. And along with joggers, hikers, and bikers are the deer, hawks, coyotes, and fox that live in the quiet woods and gullies tucked away from the congested urban life outside the cemetery fences and walls.
"At your head, a stone will mark, the passing life now gone dark".... Rich and poor alike rest here. The city's leading families are found in several sections called the millionaires' row. These families brought gifted artisans and craftsmen from Europe to build their mansions. Those same stone carvers would use those talents for bringing life to stone in their patrons' homes to honor the dead with sculptures, obelisks, and decorative embellishments and symbols for the life that has left the physical for the spiritual realm.
In death, we honor them by enjoying, appreciating, and documenting these memorials. I'm sharing a few favorites.
8 responses
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Sarah Springer gave props (4 Aug 2012):
Very good narrative and beautiful selection of markers
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Jean Pierre Vacherot (Deleted) gave props (5 Aug 2012):
Great story and beautiful shots
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Davide Simone (Deleted) said (5 Aug 2012):
GREAT STORY, Susan, congratulations for your stunning work!!!!
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Michele Wambaugh said (5 Aug 2012):
Great story & beautiful photos, Susan! Bravo!
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Carlo Pagan gave props (5 Aug 2012):
Fantastic story!!!!!!
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John Linton gave props (5 Aug 2012):
Hell YEAH! Rad! Too bad I can't vote!
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Yaz Hawkins said (5 Aug 2012):
I like it a lot, Susan! They are magnificent graves!
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Bailey Cooper said (9 Aug 2012):
I love history. I love great prose. I love the art of photography. You have combined these loves quite skillfully. It is SUCH a pleasure to read your words. Great writing is like a great symphony... a melody, cadence, modulation, and arrangement that draws the reader in and through the work. Your writing IS symphonic. When you combine this symphony with your piercing images, all that remains is the praise you deserve. Voted. More please.
