Headstone Types
Headstones mark the placement of graves in a cemetery. Situated at the head of a grave, they usually bear inscriptions recording the birth and death of the deceased and an epitaph or a religious text. A footstone sometimes marks the grave's base. Older headstones are slabs of field stones, slate, limestone, granite, marble, sandstone or wooden planks. The softer the material, the easier it is to carve but weathering erodes the inscriptions more quickly.
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Types of Headstones
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Headstones provide a focus of remembrance for the survivors of the deceased. The practice of using headstone markers developed from the prehistoric practice of piling stones on a grave to discourage wild animals from digging up the body. As civilization developed, honoring the dead grew more important to their survivors. The graves of significant individuals reflected their wealth and status. This still holds true in modern times.
Some double headstones might bear the names and details of additional family members and indicate the deceased person's or family's financial status. A variety of basic headstones mark burial sites. The categories include the standard tablet stones, obelisks, columns, flat markers, ledger stones, scrolls and pulpits, as well as carved and molded concrete monuments.
Tablet Headstones
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Tablet headstones are usually the oldest headstones in a cemetery. The simplest headstone category encompasses flat, rectangular stones set directly into the ground or in a base. Tablets set into a slot in a stone or concrete base are usually more stable than those inserted directly in the ground because the potential for differential settling is minimal. The wide base distributes the weight more evenly and reduces the headstone's tendency to slant or tip over and fall. Some tablet stones have rounded, triangular or domed tops.
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Obelisk and Column Headstones
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Obelisk headstones are usually the most ornate headstones in the cemetery. The tall needle-like obelisk originated in Egypt. This type of headstone marker is hundreds of years old, and might symbolize a finger pointing toward heaven or a sun's ray. They usually denote the graves of people with high social status. A standard obelisk has a four-sided, column-like shaft mounted on a square base while the shaft tapers to a point at its peak. Vaulted obelisks are a variant of this style without tapering and ending in an arch-like point or an urn monument. Similar to the obelisk, the column headstone is comprised of three parts: base, a shaft and a capital at its top; it often features Roman, Greek or Egyptian design. Column monuments often designate family burial sites.
Flat, Ledger, Scrolls and Pulpit Markers
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The sides of flat bevel markers meet the ground at an angle. The flat and ledger headstone markers are usually granite or metal slabs that lie directly on the ground above the grave. Flat markers are popular in modern cemeteries because they minimize the routine landscape maintenance of mowing the grass and there are no headstones in danger of tilting or collapsing.
In the period spanning the late 19th and and early 20th centuries, scrolls or pulpit headstones became popular. They had slanted faces resembling a scroll or an open book, which might be a Bible. If the book is shown as open near its beginning, the grave's occupant was a young person.
The Woodmen of the World
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Monument headstones usually depict religious symbols or figures. More than 100 years ago, Joseph Cullen Root founded a fraternal order dedicated to honesty and clean living called the Woodmen of the World. He took his idea from his family name "Root" and envisioned "pioneer woodmen clearing away the forest to provide for their families." His insurance company, Woodmen of the World, grew out of this idea with a mission to provide a decent burial for its members complete with a headstone marker. Some markers resemble a carved tree trunk standing at least five feet high or a pile of logs. Because the Woodmen do not "lie," most of the grave inscriptions read, "There rests a Woodman of the World." The organization is still extant with its office in Omaha, Neb.
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