Diving Into the Darkness

It was kind of spooky but also really cool!

Last Monday night, our graveyard class took a field trip to two graveyards-- in the dark.  I enjoyed going at night, it added to the spooky aspect of the graveyards!

We ventured into The Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul's Graveyard.  We took many photos of the different types of graves and learned more about the styles of headstones and structures.  We also talked about the kind of people who were buried there.  I learned a lot about local Charleston history by visiting these graveyards.

The Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul's graveyard is located in downtown Charleston on Coming Street.


1. Sarcophagus

This is an example of a sarcophagus grave marker. I could not make out the writing and it was also in Latin, but it seems to be somebody important who was buried here as it was an extravagant grave.  I would think that those buried in a sarcophagus above ground would be from wealthier families and higher social status.

2.  Cross

This is an example of a cross grave marker. The person buried here is named Thomas M. Hanckel and he lived December 6th, 1882 to February 5th, 1888.  Personally, this is my favorite style of grave marker as it is easy to see and distinguish and it clearly resonates the spiritual and religious aspect of the graveyard with the Holy Cross as a headstone on top.

3. Bevel
 
This is an example of a bevel grave marker.  The person buried here is named is Lila Barksdale Pickens and she died on February 2nd, 1982.  To me, lawn grave markers are cool because they do not stick up and are flat I like how they look.

4.Die On Socket
 
This is an example of a die on socket grave marker.  The person buried here is named Elizabeth H. Reeves.  She was born on February 5th, 1908 and died on August 16th, 1984.  When I think of a classic graveyard head stone grave marker, I think of the die on socket style of grave marker.  They are definitely the most common type that you typically see or think of when in a graveyard.  This grave stone has some embellishments and intricate carvings on it, so she was probably a member of a family with some money and influence.

5.Obelisk
 
This is an example of an obelisk grave marker.  Personally, I love how these look because they are so grand and show status and importance of the person buried there.  It really makes a statement in comparison to the smaller graves in the graveyard and grabs your attention.  The person buried here is named Joseph Smith Gibbes.  He was born on June 7th, 1794 and died on September 16th, 1876.  Gibbes clearly lived a pretty long live given the time period he lived in. The grave is inscribed with the words, "troubled soul, you rest in peace at last."

6. Die on Base

This is an example of a die on base grave marker.  It is a more subtle style, but still sticks up more than others.  The person buried here is named Percy Guerard and he lived from December 14th, 1836 to April 10th, 1990.

7. Box Tomb

My apologies for the not so great photo, but this is an example of a box tomb.  The person buried here is named Thomas Horry born on June 13th, 1748 and died on January 5th, 1880.  According to Find a Grave, he was the third song of Colonel Elias Horry and Margaret Lynch Horry born in Wadbecan in the Parish of Prince George Winyah. He was also a member of the Convention which formed the present State Constitution under which he afterwards served for a few years as Representative and a Senator. He lead a pretty successful life!

8. Lawn

This is an example of a lawn grave marker.  It was very hard to make out the writing on this one, but what I could pick up was that two people are buried here because you can just barely make out two names sort of along with the words "giveth his beloved"

9. Headstone

This is an example of a classic headstone.  The person buried here is named Marie Cannon Magee and she was born 1923 and died in 2009.  I looked this grave up on find a grave and google and strangely enough could not find anything on her.

10.Mausoleum
 
This is an example of a mausoleum in the graveyard.  This is one of my favorites because of how grand and large it is.  It truly makes a statement and stands out above all of the other graves in the graveyard.  The family name on this mausoleum is Johnston.