Trip to Cemetery - Mary Carson Irvine

I really enjoyed visiting the cemetery today and thought it was very insightful. One thing I noticed at the cemetery was the different sizes  of the graves. There were some really tall graves, some shorter but thicker and wider graves, and some very tiny graves. The two pictures below show the difference in the sizes of the graves in the cemetery. In the top picture, you can even see some much smaller graves surrounding this larger grave. Why were some graves bigger than others? I wonder if it was just a personal choice, an economic choice, or to show the importance of the person buried there.

I also really enjoyed look at the large grave that was a locked building, housing a family. 

I thought this was interesting due to the huge size and the two large markers on the outside, giving information on the bodies that were housed inside. I wish we were able to enter the building because that would have been a whole different experience. It would be interesting to see how the inside was set up and exactly where the bodies were. I also thought the confederate flag outside was interesting, because it looked fairly new. I was interested to know if a distant relative recently put the

flag there, or just a random person.

Also, I found the family plots very interesting. Some of the family plots were bordered by a gate, while others were just grouped together marked with similar tombstones. The group of family graves show that those families wanted to stay together after death, which I liked due to how close I am with my own family. It is evident in the tip picture that the people buried there are part of the same family because their graves are gated in the same area. In the bottom picture, I believed those were family members because although the graves are not gated, they are the same shape and practically the same size. 

I also found interesting some of the different markers that were placed at the graves, including flowers, confederate flags, war markers, and even a firefighter marker. These markers, especially the flowers, show how many grave sites are still living memorials, visited and honored by people still today. 

Also, the main attraction, the Stonewall Jackson statue was also very cool to see. I liked the tradition of throwing the lemons on the statue, showing that it is very much a living memorial. I also thought it was interesting that Jackson's remains were once at a different spot in the same cemetery, which is still marked. I wonder what prompted the movement of his remains, was it just to make his grave more of a memorial site and to show his importance? (Sorry it's sideways). Overall, I loved the trip to the cemetery and thought it was very helpful to put to use the things we have talked about in the past two days of class. I can't wait for more trips!