Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery

 

 

Today’s field trip to Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery accentuated many themes presented in our class. One theme the cemetery echoes is the variability that appears across memorials. Hundreds of tombs cover the cemetery, and every tomb is unique. In the middle of the cemetery sits a large memorial dedicated to Stonewall Jackson. 

I found it interesting that the main statue does not face any entrance to the cemetery, but in fact looks south, towards the confederate states.

A second memorial that caught my attention was a tombstone erected for a freemason from Texas.

 His tombstone highlighted his life in 3 events: “Having been a Texian revolutionist, a Mier prisoner, and a U.S. and C.S military officer”. 

The 4 sided tombstone has writing on 3 of the 4 sides and the passage above is the only one clear enough to read with a naked eye. The man’s name is not even  clearly legible.

The Last grave marker than stood out to me was a mausoleum. The mausoleum provided a final resting place for many members of a family.

The tombstone sitting to the left of the mausoleum proved equally provocative as it marked a member of the family who had essentially died to late to be buried in the mausoleum with his or her ancestors. 

- Chris Buckingham