A treestone, which is part of the Victorian rusticity movement, and often marks the grave of a member of the Woodmen of the World.
Today I did a unique program!
Miss Jackson, the wonderful librarian at the DeHoff Library, asked me come do my "Unlocking the Secrets of the Cemetery" program for her teen club. Afterwards we went into Rowland Cemetery, behind the library, to see what we could find.
The kids were great! They listened to my program, which honestly is geared more toward adults. But they were very respectful and paid attention as I showed them photos of symbols I have seen over the years.
When we went into the cemetery, they were very interested in finding things. A member of the cemetery's board came with us, and was able to point out the largest stone, oldest stone, etc.
It was a great program, and I was thrilled to show the kids a different perspective of the cemetery. First, it is nothing to be afraid of. And second, it is not something to vandalize. I bet not one of those kids would tip over a stone, now that they've learned about what cemeteries mean. And I think they would stop their friends from doing it too.
Here are some pictures I took today:
Teens looking at the back of the Roos grave, which lists TEN of their children who had died.
The side listing the 10 kids.
A cylindrical stone with a palm on it.
An excellent example of calla lilies!
Tulips, which I haven't seen before.
Afterwards, we went back to the library and of course the kids didn't have any questions (teens are notoriously silent!). I asked them to think about what symbols would best represent them. Miss Jackson said a book, which was perfect for a librarian! None of the kids spoke up, but you could tell they were thinking about it!
I just love wandering in old cemeteries. I hope that the kids saw my enthusiasm about it, and maybe they will gain a new respect for our country's burial grounds.
No comments:
Post a Comment