The Marble Forest

Experience Writing Prompt: DEEP IN THE FOREST

Deep in the forest of marble and stone, the first thing that caught my eye  as we drove through the cemetery was an upright grave monument that looked like it was about to fall over.

It was ornate and looked well cared for- all except for the fact that the ground under it was having issues and the monument was collapsing.

I decided to grab a picture of it because the light and the leaves were beautiful, and as I carefully walked around it I saw   a tribute to a wife, her husband and to their daughter:

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023

Maria was the only child of Amia and Lyman and  she died when she was only 26.

She was never married, she had no children.  She died in 1867.

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023

Her father followed her in death 29 years later at age 81

Oakwood Cemetery Beaver Dam WI

Amia followed her husband 11 years later and at this point I thought that  had Maria lived  would have been 66 years old the year her Mother died. She may have even been a grandmother.

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023

As I walked around the monument I saw three grave covers.  My son leaned down to brush away some leaves and he stood up, and told me that the covers were metal.
I was intrigued by the placement of the monument – it was placed at the foot of the graves  instead of at the  head- and I was curious about the material.
I was also curious why the oldest cover was in such good shape and the most recent was not.
So I did a little research into Beaver Dam’s history and learned that the monuments were made of Zinc or ” White Bronze ” ( you can read about it HERE ) .

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023

On that bright Fall morning, in that cemetery far away from where I live, I explored a forest made of marble and stone and it was decorated with leaves of red and gold. 

The Peacock Family and Their Neighbors

I’ve been taking pictures at cemeteries for a few years now and I feature them here on my blog. 

This year’s collection was different- these pictures have oomph and I am excited to share them with you.

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

Meet the Peacock Family:  I loved their name and call it a moment of inspiration or a haunting- but as soon as I saw the Peacock’s tombstones I just knew there’s a story here just waiting to be told.

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

J.H. Peacock and Caroline Peacock’s headstones were in the best shape, I’m sorry to say the other Peacock’s markers were harder to read.  I included them in a group portrait below:

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

The Family Tree- this was the second tombstone I saw like this one  while I was visiting Wisconsin- the other was in Fox Lake. I captured different angles so that you could see the beautiful work that went into creating this lovely tombstone.

Here is some information I found  about “Tree Stones “.

Tree-stump tombstones like these can be found in graveyards across the country ( USA). They tend to surprise people who come across them, since they’re not quite what we expect to see at the head of a grave. They date mostly to 1880s to 1920s, when funerary art in the United States was moving away from the grand mausoleums and obelisks found elsewhere in Green-Wood. The tree-stump stones were part of a movement to turn the focus of death back to life, and they’re a unique form connected with the secret societies of the time. “They qualify as folk art,” writes Susanne Ridlen, in her 1999 book Tree-Stump Tombstones.

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

As my Son and I were leaving Oakwood, we passed by this tombstone flanked by two trees glowing in  gold and red leaves and I thought of a Christmas Tree.

I know, it’s silly. After all, it’s almost Halloween.

Despite my holiday snafu, it was a beautiful sight:

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

I have more pictures to share and I will add them to my blog here through the winter. I don’t want to do a photo dump because all of my Graveyard pictures have a story to tell and I want to give them their moment to shine.
                                                                                  anita

Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery.
Beaver Dam WI USA
October2023

Inspired by RDP Thursday Prompt: OOMPH

If It Be Wild

Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam, WI
Photo A.M. Moscoso

Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam, WIA.M. Moscoso

Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam, WI
A.M. Moscoso

Cemetery Girl

Waiting to meet you

This Halloween

Cemetery Girl.

Photo A.M Moscoso
October 2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
October 2023

Photo A.M. Moscoso
October 2023