Cullman Confidential: Abbey Cemetery

R.I.P. Aloyius Stolz, O.B.S.

(Click image to enlarge)

Adjacent to the Ave Maria Grotto is a cemetery for the abbey. There were Stations of the Cross and a cemetery for the monks of St. Bernards.

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 04/09

Lincoln Confidential

Close-up of a Portrait of Lincoln by Gregory Manchess : Lincoln Museum

Friday found us in Springfield, Illinois, the capital of the Land of Lincoln. We also visited a little-known hamlet on the Mississippi called Nauvoo. I'll feature the latter in a separate post. Unless you're new to D.C. Confidential and in case you've missed the photo in my header, you know Abraham Lincoln is my favorite president and the Lincoln Memorial is my favorite monument in Washington. Thus, it seemed only appropriate and fitting that part of this road trip should include a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum (ALPLM.)

Hands down, the ALPLM was worth every penny of its $10 admission fee! I've been to Washington's Mount Vernon and Jefferson's Monticello. I've seen the burial places of Woodrow Wilson, John F. Kennedy, John Tyler, and James Monroe, as well as the aforementioned Washington and Jefferson. I've even visited the Confederate White House and the grave of the (in)famous Jefferson Davis. All of those are moving and significant in their own right, but I must say that the museum to Lincoln and his mausoleum are quite impressive and awe-inspiring.

The late Tim Russert of NBC's Meet the Press explains the Campaign of 1860

Here are some fun facts and trivia: Lincoln was a president of firsts. He was the first bearded president. He was the first president over six feet tall. Honest Abe was also the first sitting president to come under fire in a war when he rode out to Fort Stevens to watch Union forces repel an advance on Washington by CSA general Jubal Early. And, sadly, he was the first American president to be assassinated.

According to a very humorous document written in Lincoln's hand and on display in the museum, he coined the phrase "bass-akwards." When he died, his funeral procession travelled 1,700 miles and more people saw Lincoln dead than ever saw him alive.

Lincoln Chopper

Among some of the highlights of the museum: A custom chopper, a media room featuring the late Tim Russert of Meet the Press discussing the campaign of 1860, a four minute time lapse map that shows the battles of the Civil War, a wonderful movie called "Through Lincoln's Eyes" in the Union Theater, and several "experience exhibits" that chronicles Lincoln's life from his upbringing on the frontier to his years in the White House. If you're traveling through central Illinois, this is an absolute must-see!

The Lincoln Home

After the Lincoln Museum, we visited the only home Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln ever owned in Springfield. They lived there for 17 years before Lincoln won the presidency and they departed for Washington.

The mausoleum of President Abraham Lincoln and his family :
Oak Wood Cemetery : Springfield, IL

Finally, about two miles from the museum and his home is the grave of President Lincoln, his wife, and their three sons. Their oldest son, Robert, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

And now, here's your quiz for the day:

1. Who were the first and the last presidents to travel by train to their inaugurations?
2. How many candidates were on the ballot in the election of 1860?
3. What was the name of Lincoln's first wife?
4. What was the name of Tad's and Willie's pet dog?
5. What was Mrs. Lincoln's favorite color?
6. Aside from Washington, D.C., what three states did Lincoln live in?

And a few more pictures from the museum and Lincoln's grave.



Answers: 1. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to travel via the latest in transportation conveyances, the train, to his inauguration. He traveled from Springfield to Washington. Barack Obama recently did the same, traveling from Philadelphia to Washington. 2. Four: Abraham Lincoln (Republican), Stephen Douglas (Northern Democratic), John C. Breckenridge (Southern Democratic), and John Bell (Constitutional Union). 3. Mary Todd Lincoln. 4. Jip. 5. Purple. 6. He was born in Kentucky, raised in Indiana, and moved to Illinois to practice law.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 03/09

P.S. If/when I have time, I'll post additional pictures of sculptures of Lincoln and a few more pictures of the Lincoln Chopper. Right now, though, I've got to get on the road!

Funerary

Rabboni grave--a sculpture of Mary Magdelene,
emerging from the tomb of Jesus on the morning of the resurrection.

One of the things I love about older cemeteries is how they immortalize the deceased. Most graves are noted with a lovely headstone, while others choose to be buried in crypts. Grave markers range from the simple to the elaborate. What I enjoy most are the graves that feature sculpture as their mark of acknowledgment that six feet under is someone who was considered perhaps especially extraordinary by those left behind.

The range of material--in this case, granite on the left, bronze on the right--
and the span of decades is part of the intrigue of funerary sculpture.

Today's entry features just a few examples of funerary sculpture as found in Rock Creek Cemetery. Rock Creek Cemetery is the city's oldest burial lot and is still active today. Hence, the range of sculpture spans the decades and centuries since the cemetery opened in 1719.

This contemporary sculpture marks the final resting place
of Susan Cerveny Colbert, Mother, Wife, Artist, and Scientist.

The next time I go to Rock Creek Cemetery, my goal is to find and photograph the sculpture over the graves of Henry and Clover Adams. The artist was Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

*****

Tomorrow: Team of Rivals

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/08

Two Things Challenge: Green / Yellow

This sculpture, bas reliefs, and bench are the centerpiece of the
Kaufmann family plot in Rock Creek Cemetery.

This week's Two Things Challenge was Green / Yellow. Color challenges seem to be pretty popular and I enjoyed this one. The first picture is a plot for the Kauffman family in Rock Creek Cemetery. I liked the green patina on the copper sculpture with the yellow leaves of fall on the tree behind it. Seemed perfect!

Decorative yellow lemons and green leaves can be found at my siblings!

This second photo is a close-up of a decorative basket of lemons in the apartment of my siblings out in the states. We were hanging out yesterday, getting ready for Thanksgiving and, after I dusted off the end table by the couch, I thought this would be a cool thing to photograph. Good thing I take my camera with me everywhere!

Want a fun challenge every once in a while? Come join us over at 2 Things Photo Challenge. The more, the merrier!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/08

Glass Homage

When I started taking photos and doing this blog, I never imagined that I would end up liking cemeteries. Turns out, they're quite fascinating and full of unexpected beauty despite being a little creepy and strictly focused on those who have departed this earthly abode. These photos are just two examples of the stained glass in crypts at Rock Creek Cemetery.



To see a few more examples of some of the beautiful stained glass to be found in Rock Creek Cemetery, please visit Standing Room Only.


Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/08

Two Things Challenge: Saturday / Sunday

The French parterre* outside Marjorie Merriweather Post's
bedroom suite is a lovely place to visit on a Saturday

This week's Two Things Challenge was Saturday / Sunday. I don't know what possessed me to choose this as a challenge, because it wasn't the easiest. But I finally figured it out! Most Saturdays find me out and about trying to see something new or photograph something I haven't. On Saturday, I visited Marjorie Merriweather Post's Hillwood Museum & Gardens.

Mrs. Post, the heiress of the Post cereal fortune, had a home in Washington that doubled not just as a home, but a museum. It's a beautiful estate with an amazing collection of French and Russian art and porcelain, as well as lovely gardens. I'll be posting more about this later this week. The picture above is the French parterre outside Mrs. Post's bedroom on the second floor. This was the scene she awoke to every morning. Not bad, eh?

Timothy J. Russert, moderator of Sunday's
Meet the Press on NBC, is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery

One of the staples of Sunday mornings in Washington are the political news round-up shows. All three national networks--ABC, CBS, and NBC--have a moderated show where panelists are either political pundits or politicians. One of the highest rated shows has been NBC's Meet the Press. As some of you may recall, in June Meet the Press' moderator and NBC's Washington bureau chief, Tim Russert, died of a heart attack. Mr. Russert was widely regarded in Washington. A native of Buffalo, New York, he wasn't shy about his humble beginnings. Many of us thought he would be buried in Buffalo, but to our surprise he is buried here in Washington.

This is a picture of Mr. Russert's grave in Rock Creek Park Cemetery--Washington's oldest cemetery. No headstone yet. I feature this as part of today's challenge because, as Mr. Russert always proclaimed at the close of his show, "If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press!" Here's to you, Tim. We miss you!

* My thanks to Jackie who brought it to my attention that the intricate fountain in the garden probably precluded it from being an English garden, which is how I originally labeled it. I've edited this post to reflect the correction.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/08

Educating the Whole Person

Healy Hall--the iconic building on the campus of Georgetown University.
A statue of founder Father John Carroll sits in the plaza.

Founded in 1789, Georgetown University is the oldest private university in Washington, D.C., and the oldest Roman Catholic and Jesuit university in America. The school's origins really date back to 1634 with the establishment of the Province of Maryland by Jesuit settlers from Great Britain. After the American Revolution, Father John Carroll was appointed by Pope Pius VI to lead the Catholic Church in America. He then set about establishing a university, which officially opened for instruction on Dumbarton's Quadrangle on November 22, 1791.

Georgetown is an internationally renowned school that is still run and influenced by the Jesuits. The school has four undergraduate and four graduate programs with strong emphasis in law, business, medicine, and international relations. The school has its main campus at 37th and O Streets NW, its law campus on New Jersey Avenue NW near Union Station, and an all-girls school--Georgetown Visitation--near the main campus. Healy Hall, the main, iconic building on campus is named for university president Patrick Francis Healy and is a designated National Historic Landmark.

The back of Healy Hall: (L) Blending new architecture in with the old.
(R) Detail of a rain spout (gargoyle?) on Healy Hall.
(Click on images to enlarge.)

Among Georgetown's alumni are King Abdullah of Jordan; former U.S. President Bill Clinton, E.U. President José Manuel Barroso; Felipe de Borbon, Crown Prince of Spain; and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines; as well as presidents of Panama, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Bosnia. Twenty U.S. state and commonwealth governors have graduated from Georgetown, including Luis Muñoz Marín the first democratically elected Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Numerous Cabinet members, U.S. ambassadors, judges, members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, business leaders, and military officers are graduates of Georgetown. The world of arts, media, and entertainment is also peppered with Georgetown grads. To see a full list, visit this Wikipedia link.

Cemetery on the grounds of the university:
the final resting place of the school's Jesuit community.

Georgetown is a powerhouse in several sports, including basketball, rowing, sailing, rugby, lacrosse, and track and field. The Hoyas lead the Big East Conference with seven championships and more than 20 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Here's one final, notable fact: Georgetown graduates participate as volunteers in Peace Corps more than any other private university in the U.S.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 08/08

Richmond: Hollywood Cemetery

Hollywood Cemetery: A 'rural, garden style' cemetery
on the hills overlooking the James River

Founded in 1847, Hollywood Cemetery is designed to be a rural cemetery that wanders and meanders in concert with its natural landscape. Unlike most cemeteries, which are specifically plotted and sectioned into neat boulevards and gardens, Hollywood Cemetery is contoured and wanders, rising and falling along the hills and meadows in which it is situated.

Various obelisks and family plots (click images to enlarge)

Headstones and crypts. I took the picture on the right, because of the sunlight falling on the
tiny statue behind the Kell Family Crypt. (Click on images to enlarge.)

Another unique feature of this cemetery is its not-for-profit, non-stock corporation status and its ownership by its lot owners. Any income the cemetery derives from its services is used for the upkeep and perpetual care of the cemetery and it shows. Despite its age, its lanes are wide, the plots are trimmed and neat, and few headstones are badly displaced.

Left: President James Monroe's sarcophagus and tomb; center: President John Tyler's grave with
Monroe in the background; right: Tyler's grave.

Close-up of President James Monroe's tomb.
(Just a touch Photoshopped, too!)

In addition to the section of the cemetery dedicated to Richmond's Confederate dead, the cemetery is also the final resting place of native Virginians and U.S. Presidents James Monroe (5th POTUS; 1817-1825) and John Tyler (10th POTUS; 1841-1845). During his political career, Monroe also had the distinction of being Secretary of State, Secretary of War, and Governor of Virginia. Tyler is known as the "Accidental President," when he succeed to the presidency when President William Henry Harrison dead barely one month after being sworn in.

Obelisks art comes in a variety of styles from religious symbols to floral arrangements to funerary
draping to dedications. (Click on images to enlarge.)

One feature of older cemeteries that I enjoy are the obelisks. Meant to evoke heaven, the pillars point the eye heavenward suggesting humanity's immortality and ascension to the presence of God. I'm sure upright tombstones and grave markers are a pain to mow around and maintain, but they're awfully striking and far more interesting than markers recessed in the ground.

The Mourner*: A sculpture atop the tomb of a young man who died at the age of 29
(Near the graves of Presidents Monroe and Tyler; click on images to enlarge.)

These last two photos are of the tomb of a young man named James Worthington. I found the sculpture rather haunting and evocative, especially when I read that he died at the age of 29. This simple monument struck me as having been placed by deeply grief-stricken family members.

* The sculpture didn't have a name on it. I titled it "The Mourner."

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 5/08

Richmond: Confederate Remembrance

The Confederate Pyramid honoring
18,000 dead soldiers and sailors from the Civil War

Located on the banks of the James River is Hollywood Cemetery. Tomorrow's entries will feature a post dedicated specifically to this cemetery and its history, but for today's purposes, the focus is on the Confederate section of the cemetery and notable Confederates buried herein.

In 1869, the first memorial to Confederate soldiers was erected in Richmond. A 90-foot granite pyramid was built at a cost of $25,000. The structure was built without mortar. Construction was dangerous and the original crane did not reach high enough to place the capstone. A call for volunteers to climb to the top and place the capstone went forth, but no one responded. Finally, a sailor in prison across the river agreed to take on the challenge. In exchange for his successful completion of the task, he was granted his freedom!

Tombstones of Confederate soldiers killed during the Battle of Gettysburg

Not far from the granite pyramid are the resting places of soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. Originally interred in Pennsylvania at the site of the battle, these Virginians were disinterred and brought back to Richmond, where they were buried in Hollywood Cemetery.

From left to right: The graves of Gen. George Picket, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, and Gen. Fitzhugh Lee
(Click on images to enlarge)

Several notable generals are buried here, including J.E.B. Stuart, George Pickett, and Fitzhugh Lee. Stuart distinguished himself at the Battle of Gettysburg by being late and was killed during the Overland Campaign in 1864. Pickett is best known for his ill-fated maneuver at the Battle of Gettysburg that is forever known as Pickett's Charge. And Lee has the distinction of being the nephew of beloved Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

The grave of Jefferson Davis,

his wife Varina Howell Davis, and their daughter Winnie.

In addition to several Confederate generals, the most notable person buried in Hollywood Cemetery is none other than Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. Initially, Davis was buried in Louisiana, but in 1893, he was disinterred and brought to Richmond in a continuous funeral cortege that stretched from New Orleans to Richmond. His was the largest funeral ever staged in the South. Interestingly, the front of his tomb makes no mention of his service to the CSA, but highlights his service as a U.S. senator, cabinet secretary, and war veteran. It is on the back of his tomb that mention is made of his term as President of the CSA. Erected by his wife, Varina Howell Davis, it reads: President of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865. Faithful to all trusts, a martyr to principle. He lived and died the most consistent of American soldiers and statesmen."

Old and new:
Headstones and markers of the Confederate dead in Hollywood Cemetery.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 5/08

"For Love of Country They Accepted Death"

May 26, 2008, 6:50 AM -- Arlington National Cemetery:
More than 600,000 men and women who gave their lives for their country are buried here

James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, said that. Today, we honor our brave men and women in uniform who have lost their lives in battles and skirmishes worldwide. Their cause, our blessing: freedom, democracy, justice. Let their sacrifice not be in vain or the purview of politics, but the rightful symbol of that noblest of heroic qualities: love.

Just a few of the many who are interred in honored glory.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 5/08

Oak Hill

Corcoran Mausoleum:
Burial site of William W. Corcoran, co-founder of Oak Hill Cemetery

Located on the eastern edge of Georgetown and bordering Rock Creek Parkway is one of Washington's finest examples of 19th Century Romantic garden-style cemeteries. (To see larger photos, click on the images to enlarge.)

Oak Hill Cemetery: a natural, not-formal English garden setting

Oak Hill Cemetery, created in 1849 by an act of Congress and plotted on land donated by William W. Corcoran, is "a natural and not formal English garden accepting and blending with nature rather than being a geometrical imposition on nature."

Among the notables buried here: the aforementioned William W. Corcoran, banker and founder of the former Riggs Bank and namesake of the Corcoran Gallery of Art; John Marbury, son of William Marbury of the landmark Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison; Edwin Stanton, President Lincoln's Secretary of War; William Wallace Lincoln, son of President Lincoln (later removed to Illinois to be buried with his father after his assassination); Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy (later removed in 1893 and buried in Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy); architect Adolph Cluss and poet John Joyce, as well as numerous Revolutionary War and Civil War notables.

The Renwick Chapel: an example of English Gothic architecture.
Its garden is the site of the graves of the Achesons and Grahams.

In the 20th Century, some of the noteworthy names interred here include Dean Acheson, Secretary of State in the Truman Administration; and Katharine Graham, publisher and chief executive of The Washington Post. Acheson and his wife and their daughters, and Mrs. Graham and her husband, Philip, are buried in the garden of the Renwick Chapel. The Chapel is a beautiful "representation of the finest English specimens of old Gothic chapels."

As with all old cemeteries, there are interesting grave markers and mausoleums throughout Oak Hill. The lanes are narrow, so driving your car through the cemetery is discouraged. If you want a good hike in a 19th century English garden replete with the dearly departed, this is a lovely spot for a vigorous stroll.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 4/08