Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery

Today as we entered Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, I was unsure what I would be able to write about in my blog post. I find cemeteries to be eerie reminders of my own mortality. However, I thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The weather was beautiful and highlighted the treasures of the cemetery.

At the cemetery the disparity in gravestones was, to me, the most striking observation. The gravestones ranged from small, unmarked headstones to the stoic Stonewall Jackson memorial site. The small, unmarked headstones are depicted in the second picture. Their size is put in perspective by the dandelions growing next to the headstone. Such a headstone would have been considerably less expensive than even a marble plaque inscribed with just basic details. This must have marked the burial place for a lower-class individual.  This simple design juxtaposes the grand nature of the Jackson memorial. Jackson is buried in the plot with many of his family members extending radially out from the patriarch, Jackson (as shown in the first picture). Jackson was also constructed to be facing south, depicting that even in death he remains loyal to his troops in the south. The deliberate nature of Jackson’s memorial conveys the public’s respect and admiration for Jackson.

            The living often pay reverence to the memory of those whom have passed before. There is the classic example of leaving silk flowers on a family members grave. These flowers must be maintained on a semi-regular basis but they add the feeling to others that the deceased was loved. Also, I found the crosses that marked confederate soldiers to be very important character descriptions. There is also the example of the lemons and confederate flags left at Jackson’s grave. He loved lemons and so it is tradition to leave some for him. Both the lemons and the confederate flag honor the memory of Jackson very specifically.

Another idea that captivated me was the longevity of the cemetery. The cemetery was originally begun near the fence at the front. The oldest gravesites date back at least to the 1820s. Moss and barnacle-like-crustaceans have begun to grow on these older gravestones which have weathered the elements (as seen in the third picture). In this way, it is quite beautiful to have an above ground reminder that the deceased have returned to the earth.

I found the cemetery thoroughly interesting and will be more likely in the future to stop and observe memorials. These memorials can be to esteemed heroes or an unknown human; both examples of memorials proved to be interesting and engaging at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. 

-Charlie Karp