01 June 2010

Tombstone Tueaday--Maple Grove Cemetery-Up Close

As promised last time, this weeks post is also about Maple Grove, but this time, about the tombstones themselves. Maple View has many styles, old and newer, massive as shown below and much older and fragile.
This Buck family stone is so striking with its rough hewn look. The delicate flowers against the simple name give it a stark but striking appearance. I love this stone.
There are also the ones that need a little help. I am not sure if this stone simple suffers from a broken base or if there are more problems. I know that in the last decade or so there was some vandals that harmed some stones. I do not know if broken base here is from that or something else. It does give the row an old appearance with the various stones tipping in different directions.
Maple Grove has several of these "tree trunk" stones. This bordered plot features the large tree stump with the family name on a "branch" across the front. I am unable to make out the name on this stone. Along with the three smaller individual stones, did you notice the smaller stump-like stone in the plot? The detail on these tree trunk is always fascinating to me, with the bark, as well as flowers, including the potted lily at the base. Another plot in the cemetery not only has the tree trunk monument, but also a bench, also looking like tree branches.
A large detailed monument, befitting a family who was prominent in the early days of the town. I love the fine carving in the two panels flanking the large section.
While not all of the cemetery has the bordered plots, the ones that are there can be simple as the one around the "tree trunk" plot, or more massive as above. The huge Reynolds family stone anchors the sturdy border on their plot.

The family plot here, next the the large Sargeant stone is bordered with a smaller border, but with large corner stones.
Did you see this simple stone for Della Hain in the above plot? I love it. So simple, but it still has the name and dates. Time should be kind to this stone, so much of it is so natural.
Farther on is this family stone for the VanderWerp family. Such graceful curves and light carving around the cap. I like the shape of this stone.

A lovely old stone. I wonder though if it as old as the dates suggest. I almost think that it could be a replacement. Lovina (his wife) died in 1878 and Samuel F Henderson in 1909. Since Lovina died a year before the cemetery was established, I assume she was moved here. Perhaps in 1928 when many were transferred here from Pioneer cemetery. Perhaps the stone was obtained then. It just looks newer to me. The carving is not as deep, the flowers flatter than those shown on other graves, like the Buck and VanderWerp. Even the fact that is pink granite says "new" to me. What do you think?
And while not typical of Maple Grove, there are plenty of the old stones as well. This obelisk style for the Schotanus family is hard to read, with the writing on the top fading with the weather and lichens. Even so, weathered and tipping, it continues to commemorate the family who erected it.

1 comment:

  1. Good job in capturing the variety at that cemetery. Thank you for sharing.

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