Tombstone Photo of the Week

Gypsum Cemetery

GYR Carnival

The interesting, odd & beautiful

In almost every cemetery we can find a tombstone that fits into the interesting, odd and beautiful categories. These are the ones we most likely share on our cemetery blogs.

Interesting

Mt. Calvary Cemetery - Saline County, KS

I have not located information on this grave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Odd

Mitchal Runnels Grave

Valley View Cemetery - Finney County, KS

Read this online article from 1970

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beautiful

Highland Cem. - Comanche Co., OK
Eakins Cem. - Denton Co., TX
Eastside Cem. - Reno Co, KS
Eastside Cem., Reno Co, KS

I am drawn to tombstones that tend to pull my heartstrings.

These are a few that fit the beautiful category.

Tombstone Photo of the Week

Mt. Calvary Cemetery

A Look Inside

I don't see many individual mausoleums where I live. So when I do find them I like to peek inside those that have windows in the door.

This one has a nice stained glass window. This cemetery has several.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery

Buried here is Winfield W. Watson. He was born in Indiana in 1848. He was a businessman, a wholesale grocer and known for two primary contributions to history involving non-business achievements. He was among the first to support the Good Roads cause in Kansas, a nation-wide movement seeking to improve country roads and establish a highway system. In 1911 he joined the Meridian Road Association, serving as President of the Kansas Division helping to finance the first markers for the gravel road that stretched from Winnipeg, Canada to Mexico City. The Meridian Highway is today largely the route of Highway 81 and the first road completed across Kansas. Watson also was the primary supporter and financial contributor to the building of Salina's Fox Watson Theatre. He was unable to attend the opening in 1931 due to the amputation of one of his legs. He died 10 months later.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery Historical Walk.

Unknown...

 ...at least to me.

It is headstones like this that leave me with many questions. It's possible the cemetery has names for this grave. It's one I visited an hour away.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery

Cemetery Walks

Take a walk - see more photos online.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery
Lebanon Cemetery
Murdock Cemetery
Mt. Calvary Cemetery
Mt. Vernon Cemetery
St. Rose Cemetery
Walnut Hill Cemetery

GYR Carnival - Cause of Death

Alexander & Valentine Goodall, along with Joshua Crowther, lost their lives in a fishing expedition. The men had taken a day off from work with others and chose a fishing spot northeast of town [Salina, KS] at the junctions of the Smoky Hill and Saline Rivers. Joshua Goodall volunteered to swim a net across the river and fasten to the bank on the other side. It was thought he developed a cramp and began flailing for help. Royal Calkin, George Garvin and Alexander Goodall tried to help. Alexander became entangled in the net and Valentine Goodall tried to save him. All three drowned on May 27, 1871.

- Valentine left a wife and five children.
- Alexander left a wife and newborn baby.
- Elizabeth Crowther was left with her seven children. James Muir, a member of the fishing party and one of the five town founders for Salina, sold the widow an acre of his land for one dollar to offer aid.

Located in the same cemetery is the grave of Henry H. Morrison. His headstone states he died from bullet wounds he received August 27, 1899 at the battle of the Rio Grand.

I think the cause of death most often listed on a tombstone is when a person died in military service. Those I have found that listed other causes left me thinking about the grief of the family. How they felt it necessary to tell those of us to visit in the future how this person died.

Click on my label "Cause of Death" to see the other posts I have on this topic.

Gypsum Hill Cemetery

Saline County Cemetery Walk

Take a walk - see more photos online.

Gypsum Cemetery

I only had time for a quick walk through this cemetery last year. It will be one of the first ones I visit in 2010. It's about an hour away. Daylight was fading and I knew most pictures would not be the best they could be.

Any mail today?

I guess the folks buried at the County Cemetery in Saline County still get mail. This is a rural area cemetery no longer in use so I was puzzled to why there is a mailbox mounted on a post. Since there is a large sign with the history I'm not sure what could have been housed in it.

.

Odd Find?

I'm not sure what to make of this grave. Any ideas?

Gypsum Hill Cemetery

Wordless Wednesday

.

Gypsum Cemetery