2/7/14

This week was an example of when preservation is about due diligence and administrational work as opposed to continuous fieldwork. Due to the weather this week, I went to the Deland Public Library to take pictures of Daphne Brownell’s catalogue of the Lake Helen-Cassadaga Cemetery.  Brownell catalogued a majority of cemeteries in Volusia County for the Daughters of the American Revolution.

            

          Since this was a fairly document heavy week, I spent Wednesday compiling the names from the Bethel Cemetery from my site visit into a more comprehensive list for the Florida master site file. While adding names newly found while in my visit to Bethel Cemetery onto my list I found this poem that was inscribed unto a tombstone and what I found unique was that it was penned by the man interred. It goes:

            “The Memory of Life-Life is based on feelings and ideas and when you put these thoughts together you experience either sadness or happiness. If you loose your thoughts and dreams you loose the feeling of life-Alan Sumner”

I really loved this for poetry is believed by some to be a window into one’s soul. It’s a great way for others, who may or may not know the person entombed, have a glimpse into the ideals of the man or woman laid to rest. I would encourage everyone to leave a poem, either written by oneself or another, it is more impactful than any visual imagery that can often be found when perusing cemeteries.

          

        Next week I will be able to work from home and then hopefully on Friday the weather will be nice enough that we can start doing fieldwork again. Even if it means I have to drive the government vehicle, but with my coworker and GPS we should not get lost only sidetracked. 

       Before I finish I want to mention that if you are interested in becoming more involved in graveyard preservation, especially in Florida, you should check out the CRPT Alliance on Facebook. The group covers an array of discussion topics, posts fascinating pictures of tombstones, and even recipes for cupcake tombstones. If you're interested you can check it out through the link (x). It's a great way to learn about new theories or discoveries and is a great topic for dinner parties.