Have you ever wandered through a cemetery and wondered about the meanings of the designs carved on old gravestones? Thousands of different religious and secular symbols and emblems have adorned tombstones through the ages, indicating attitudes towards death and the hereafter, membership in a fraternal or social organization, or an individual's trade, occupation or even ethnic identity. While many of these tombstone symbols have fairly simple interpretations, it is not always easy to determine their meaning and significance. We were not present when these symbols were carved into the stone and can't claim to know our ancestors' intentions. They may have included a particular symbol for no other reason than because they thought it was pretty.
While we can only speculate what our ancestors were trying to tell us through their choice of tombstone art, these symbols and their interpretations are commonly agreed upon by gravestone scholars.
- Torch, InvertedPhoto of inverted torches on a tombstone in Allegheny Cemetery near Pittsburgh, PA.
- Tree Trunk TombstoneTree trunk tombstones are an interesting sight in the cemetery
- WheelPhoto of a wheel symbol on the tombstone of George and Rachel Dickson, Robinson's Run Cemetery, PA
- Woodmen of the Worldwoodmen of the world cemetery symbol tombstone gravestones woodmen of the world cemeteries photo
- Graphic Index
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