3/17/14

Happy Saint Patricks ay Everyone!! This was the first week back from Spring Break and the time change, so Wednesday was a very arduous day. I did make headway with Osteen Cemetery transcriptions then which allowed for me to understand more people of import when visiting the cemetery on Friday.

             On Friday, we visited several cemeteries all which had their own unique feel and appearance that allowed for it to stand out more so. The first stop was the Lake Helen & Cassadaga Cemetery, which I have mentioned just a few times on this blog. I was very excited to visit for two different reasons. The first is that though I am still learning about the history of Florida, the Lake Helen & Cassadaga history really fascinated me. Secondly, I have always heard of the infamous “devil’s chair” in Cassadaga which is nothing more then vandalized mourning chairs. Just looking at the chairs one can assume that the chairs were put in place for remaining family could sit and remember or in a sense spend time with their dearly departed loved ones. When I arrived, I was expecting one ominous appearing chair, instead there were three intriguing and simplistic chairs. The entire cemetery had a feel of what could be considered beautifully angst-ridden cemetery that becomes more intriguing the longer you’re there.

            The next cemetery we ventured to was Osteen Cemetery, which is another I was excited to visit.

It’s amazing how one can imagine a cemetery to look like and it can be drastically different. I imagined a small, compact cemetery similar to Mount Zion Cemetery. Instead, it was a large, sprawling cemetery that was very calming. Adding to the serene atmosphere that can only be felt at a cemetery, were wind chimes hanging in the looming pine trees.

From Pi(e) Day!

It also had one of the most larger historic burials than I’ve noticed in the smaller cemeteries, it may not have been more but it was the most orderly and one of the best preserved plots I have encountered. Also on Friday it was National Pi Day and so my coworker and I stopped at Osteen Diner and had a celebratory slice!

            

Enterprise Cemetery

The last two cemeteries were Enterprise and Hollywood. With Enterprise, there is a fairly empty expanse that I believe would have unmarked graves. It was pretty, but did not stand out to me. Hollywood Cemetery was beautiful and similar to Oakdale, but not nearly as expansive.

"Don't blink"

There was a beautiful combination of older and newer headstones/obelisks that were all maintained very well, but there were some beautiful newer headstones that were just exquisite. The weeping angel monument was expertly carved and I was actually surprised to see that here. I’ve read about those monuments to be popular in France, but not in the States.

            I know that next Friday we will be visiting Emporia and my boss will be along for we will try to find a few graves that are somewhat unsure of the whereabouts. I am looking forward to that and additional adventures and discovery that I may experience. 

Before I wrap up this post I do want to mention the River of Lakes Heritage Corridor Scenic Highway, they work to promote learning and active involvement within the community, including creating awareness for historic cemeteries.  I was recently featured on their Facebook page (which can be accessed here x) and they are in the middle of revamping their website to include more detailed information about cemeteries Volusia County is working to document and preserve.  They have a fascinating website and I would recommend anyone interested in digging deeper into the history and even activities available in areas like DeLand and Sanford to check it out! (x)

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. 

1/31/14

Hey everyone! Sorry this post is so late in the game I’m still trying to get into the swing of things. I think posting on Friday nights will work best. In this post, I will be covering what went on last Friday, this past Wednesday, and today!

         

          Last Friday it was so cold out that for fieldwork, so we drove through two cemeteries and it was really interesting for it was to note the differences between the black cemetery and the white cemetery, there were some differences with the upkeep or even the boundary line. With the black cemetery, it was clear that part of the fence was on top of a few people who were buried; leading us to question if there are unmarked graves lying outside of the cemetery boundary. There were two cemeteries we actually went into and the most fascinating was Lake Dias where the ornamentation on top of the gravestones was truly unique for they were covered in conch shells. 

         From my gleaning of the Internet, shells are often bleached beforehand and then the sun continues to bleach it. In addition, from talking to my coworker and more Internet research this practice is not specific to just one religion or culture, but it widespread amongst those of Jewish descent, Hispanic origin, or other personal beliefs. She told me she heard that it was "for those who came by sea to leave by sea", which I find fascinating. I found this succinct article on what that shells represent to different religions and thought you guys might be interested by that. x

Another example of conch shells outlining the graves

            Another thing I noticed was a tombstone that had a bumper sticker and a CAT machine replica on top of the person interred below. At first, it seems a little odd, but I like that I had a chance to sneak a peek at the type of man this was and what his passion was. I liked that it was personal and though I didn’t understand the full story I could still piece together his age, his possible career, family by those buried alongside etc.

            On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to work from home, which was perfect since it was a dark, rainy day that makes you want to drink tea all day long. I was able to complete transferring names and cross-checking for Cassadaga and Lake Helen Cemetery and this upcoming Wednesday I’ll be running to the DeLand library to cross reference my list with a list made previously by a Ms. Brownell.

          

          Today my coworker and I focused on the big picture and worked on creating an excel spreadsheet that listed all the cemeteries that are being worked on for the county. It was amazing to see how many there were-84 was my last count for total cemeteries! Additionally, I finished up writing a page history about Cassadaga and Lake Helen, highlighting the important or notable men and women that are buried there. It was really interesting and I was so excited that I was able to research through so many books and government documents to weave together a history of not just the place, but of those buried there as well. I know that may sound weird, but normally you either write about a person or a place for a paper, so this was a very enjoyable task for me. 

This week was pretty quiet, but next week I think I will be very interesting. I should be approved to drive the government vehicle by next week and if so I will have my coworker take a picture of me looking terrified. Furthermore, there will be a lot more fieldwork and a chance to mix up the pace a bit, so I think I will have more exciting stuff to talk about!