Friday, May 9, 2014

The Tombstone Trail: An Innovative Idea


There are wine trails, bike trails, bourbon trails, food trails, art and culture trails – but have you ever been on a Tombstone Trail?

The nation’s only historic cemetery trail tour can be found in Noble County Indiana along the Grand Army of the Republic Highway (U.S. 6) and State Road 9. 


The trail was founded by John Bry, executive director of the Noble County Convention and Visitors Bureau www.visitnoblecounty.com in 2010. What began as a trail for Noble County now includes DeKalb, Koscisuko, Whitley, and Huntington Counties as well.



Bry wanted to create something that tied together Hoosier history and genealogy, with area cemeteries and included profiles of the famous and infamous of Indiana’s history. Volunteers have researched and pulled together over 80 stories including tales about architects, a Noble prize winner, and soldiers who served in the War of 1812, Civil War, both World Wars, and Vietnam, along with accounts about a Salvation Army donut girl, the last Miami Indian Chief, and Indiana author and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter.


If you are a Tombstone Tourist, you are aware that cemeteries are rich repositories of history, art, architecture, and stories. This Trail is a creative way to coax others into the graveyard for a chance to explore what is really there and admire the monuments and stories of those who have gone before.


The Tombstone Trail offers self-guided tours of 10 cemeteries over an 85-mile radius. Last year the group published pdfs and books on each cemetery and offered them for sale on their website www.tombstonetrail.com. Those wanting to take a tour should purchase a pdf or book to learn more about the stories of a certain cemetery. Each book contains a map with the graves marked. Once at the cemeteries, QR (quick response) codes are located at the gravesites for more information.


The Tombstone Trail is beginning its fifth season late this summer with guided tours for groups of 10 or more held during the autumn; some tours may be conducted by candlelight! Self-guided tours may be taken year-round. Some of the cemeteries on the guided tour trail may change each year so that each season offers new stories and some old favorite. Proceeds from all tours and books go to historic cemetery conservation. 


Cemetery locations include the Old Kendallville Cemetery, Lake View Cemetery, Rose Hill Cemetery, and Oak Park Cemetery in Noble County; Syracuse Cemetery in Kosciusko County; Blue River Cemetery, Greenhill Cemetery and South Park Cemetery in Whitley County, and Mt. Hope Cemetery and Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Huntington County. For more information about touring the Tombstone Trail, contact the Noble County Visitors Bureau at (877) 202-5761 or visit them on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/TombstoneTrail.



Bry’s idea of a Tombstone Trail is slowly spreading; there are now over 30 cemeteries involved and the trail also includes cemeteries in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

What a great way to introduce people to the cemetery with all its beauty and history: a chance for people to learn about some of our country’s famous, infamous and not-so-famous “permanent” residents of those silent cities of stone.

~ Joy

Friday, May 2, 2014

Faces of the Dead: A Look at Post Mortem Photography


May is National Photography Month; a perfect time to consider post mortem photography and why our ancestors had photos taken of loved ones after they had died. (But be warned: These photos may be considered graphic and disturbing.)


Daguerreotype Camera
Victorian Era
Post mortem photography was popular during the Victorian Era. The daguerreotype was the first photographic process for the masses. Introduced in 1839, it gave those in the middle class a way to memorialize their loved ones, both living and dead.


Man in Chair
Girl in Chair
Many families had post mortem photos taken as keepsakes, a way to remember and honor the dead. Since photography was fairly new, there were likely no other images of the deceased; this was the only way to capture them as they had been in life. Photos could also be sent to family that lived far away for the purpose of remembering and mourning.


Children with Baby
Baby in Carriage
This explains why many of these Victorian death portraits appear to be tableaus: the departed placed in a life-like pose representing a “slice of life” - but taken after someone had died.




Mother with Two Babies
Father with Baby
Post mortem photos of babies were especially popular since mortality rates for children and babies were extremely high. This photograph was all that parents and family members would have to remember their child.






Girl Among Flowers
A "Deep Slumber"
Most early post mortem photos were taken of the face, showing the deceased in a “deep slumber”, but it wasn’t long before full-bodied shots became common with the subjects posed on chairs, couches and beds for their final repose.








Family Gathered Around Deceased
Family is Deceased
Many times a photo showed a parent holding a deceased child with other family members gathered around. However, one post mortem photo shows an entire family laid out on a bed – all of them deceased.


Child with Tinted Cheeks
Tinted Cheeks and Bow
Depending on the photographer, a rosy tint could be added to the cheeks to make the subjects appear more life-like. Many post mortem photos were taken with the subject’s eyes open to give a life-like look. At other times, if the eyes had been closed before the photo was taken, it would be retouched with paint to give the effect of someone alive.


Deceased Pet with Owners
Deceased Owner with Pets
Toward the turn of the century, post mortem photos of pets were also being taken. Or pets with their deceased master …






One post mortem photo was taken two year after death and used to try and locate the man's relatives. (And apparently, also an advertisement for Livingstons, Undertakers.)







King Ludwig II of Barvaria
Family with Two Babies
Photos of the deceased in the coffin were not popular until the end of the 19th century, and more so in Europe than in the U.S.
By the beginning of the 20th century, post mortem photos were falling out of favor; people began to find them tasteless and uncouth in this country.


In Repose
Coffin Photo
Today, post mortem photos are not desired or considered respectful by many, however some ethnic groups, especially in Europe continue the practice. Victorian photos can still be found in antique shops and on eBay – a lasting look at how our ancestors coped with life - in the face of death.

~ Joy

Friday, April 25, 2014

Going Out in Style: Hearses Through History



Herse
Funeral Coach
In the funeral industry, a hearse is known as a funeral coach. The term hearse (herse) is actually from the 13th century and referred to a type of plow. The word was also used for the triangular form that held candles during religious ceremonies. These “candelabras” were also placed on the top of the coffin as the body was taken to its burial place.

Early History

Bier
A bier was the first type of carrying device used to move remains. Made up of a flat wooden form, the body, wrapped in a shroud, or the coffin box was placed upon this framework and carried by hand to the burial place. This framework became known as a hearse: a way to transport the body or coffin.

Bier with Pope John Paul
Biers are still used today but are made of aluminum and have wheels for ease of movement. Also known as a church truck, it is used to move the casket to and from the church or funeral home.  Dignitaries and heads of state are also placed on biers to lie in state before funeral services are held. These hand-carried hearses evolved into horse-drawn wagons during the 17th century.

 19th Century
By the 19th century, wooden hearses were becoming more elaborate with intricately carved flowers, doves and scrolls, and heavy velvet draperies hung on both sides of the carriage.



Crane & Breed Hearse Carriage
Hearses were usually crafted from mahogany wood. In 1850, Crane, Breed & Company of Cincinnati began producing metal caskets. Four years later the company was also building horse-drawn hearses.

Electric Trolleys
In the 1880s, the cities of Baltimore and Chicago each designed trolley funeral cars, which ran on the electric trolley railways. These special trolleys were used to transport a casket, and the mourners out to the cemeteries located at the edge of town.


Early 20th Century
Crane & Breed Auto Hearse
It was not until the beginning of the 20th century and the invention of the motorized vehicle that hearses received a tremendous updating. On May 1, 1908 the General Vehicle Company of New York rolled out the first electric hearse. But by 1909, Crane and Breed had introduced the first motorized mass produced funeral coach called the Auto Hearse.

A Ludlow Hearse
This was also the first year that a totally motorized funeral was held. When Chicago resident Wilfrid A. Pruyn died, H.D. Ludlow, a local ambulance and funeral service, agreed to furnish a motorized hearse. Since Ludlow did not have one, he had one built by the C.A. Coey Auto Livery Company. Coey adapted a horse drawn hearse by placing the framework on the chassis of an opera bus.

1920 Hearse
The 1920’s brought about several changes and adaptions to the motorized hearse. In 1920, hearses were beginning to resemble the passenger limousine that was popular with the well to do.

Side Loading Cadillac
Three-way coaches were introduced near the end of the Roaring 20s. This allowed the casket table to move in order to be loaded and unloaded from either side of the hearse, or through the back door. Since streets were still unpaved, people liked the convenience of being able to load and unload the casket out of the mud.

The 1930’s
Art Carved Hearse
During the Art Deco Movement of the 1930s, art-carved hearses became popular. These hearses featured hand-carved wooden panels that resembled heavily draped curtains and were placed on the side windows for privacy. This style of hearse was made until the late 1940’s.

Landau Style Hearse
In 1938, Sayers and Scovill introduced the landau style of hearse. Landau is a term from the Victorian era, which meant carriage bars that could fold and unfold, opening up part of the carriage to the elements. It was adapted to the motorized vehicle creating a semi-convertible where the rear quarter of the car could be opened up by folding the cover at the landau joints.

Landau S Bar
The funeral industry embraced the look and the leather-backed hearse with its faux landau bar became popular.  Today, the S-shaped landau bars are still visible on many hearses.




World War II
Converted Factory
Funeral coach production was on the increase when WWII broke out and factories were converted for wartime production. By the end of the war, many funeral coach companies had experienced financial losses and were forced to close.



Mid-Twentieth Century
1975 Hearse
After the war, landau and limousine style hearses were both popular. Draperies lost some of their intricate draping and became sleeker and straighter based on the look of airline drapes. During the 1970’S, hearses were downsized due to the gasoline crisis.


Rear Compartment
Until the end of the ‘70s, it was typical for a hearse to be built on combination a chassis, (usually Cadillac) meaning that the professional framework was constructed for use as a hearse or an ambulance. The rear compartment was then fitted to carry either a gurney or casket.  


Today
Van Hearse
Funeral coaches were downsized again at the end of the 1990’s and today some modern fleets, especially in Europe include medium sized vans that have been converted into funeral hearses.

Open Windows
In Europe, the limousine style is preferred with lots of glass and few draperies allowing the windows to be unobscured.



Interior with Features
Landau Style
In the U.S, the landau style is still popular, bearing the trademark leather or vinyl roof with the faux S-shaped bars, and curtains at the windows. The windows may also be frosted or opaque without curtains. Some hearses have skylights, sidewall decorations and track lighting. Current versions are boxy in the rear, resembling a car and van in the styling. The current cost of a hearse is around $100,000.

For more information on hearses, visit Coach Built at www.coachbuilt.com and Hearse Works at www.hearse.com/pa.

So, if you're choosing, what style of hearse would you prefer to take you on for your final ride?

~ Joy