Friday, February 24, 2017

Tree Shaped Tombstones - Odd ones from Here and There

The "here and there" today is mostly from our July road trip.  The eastern third of Wisconsin is prime hunting ground for "Tree shaped Tombstones".

A couple from Sheboygan.



This one is remarkable for having the lettering painted white.  Obviously this monument is still being cared for by the family.  Note the fresh flowers.  So did all or many of these have original paint?  One would imagine that a few traces would have been preserved on other examples.  I mean, we still find traces of paint on the ruins of Roman walls, albeit in more optimal situations for preservation.



I'm not even going to guess on this one.  It is a weird hybrid of some sort.  The lower turn of the century monument remembers the Zelle family.  The upper red granite "log" is a style I usually see in 1930s markers.  Was Luecke a daughter who for some reason did not get buried with her husband?  

I have seen planters as separate elements in a memorial plot but this is the first time I have seen one "built in".  Note also the blank scroll.  Where are the names?



Here we have a magnificent specimen.  It was near Beaver Dam Wisconsin.  I suspect it is a local style as I had spotted something similar as we sped past another nearby cemetery.  Rain clouds were threatening and stopping at each opportunity was not in the cards that day.  We did pull in for this one.  I guess it fits into the "Stack of Logs" category but is more elaborate than any I have seen to date.  Darn I wish the craftsmen who did this kind of work would put their names on somewhere inconspicuous so that I could give them the posthumous credit that they richly deserve.

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