WEED (WYNEMA) CEMETERY

Even a quick visit to a local cemetery can be informative and very interesting. Of particular note are the epitaphs--tombstone inscriptions--that offer a most intriguing view of the concerns and culture of those buried. As you examine the tombstones, note the form and content of the wording (rhymed verse is common in some areas), examine the carved images and imagine you are a detective trying to figure out a complex puzzle.Take the time to look at the layout of the plots. Consider the relationship between art, theology, and custom. As you walk around, you might even take a moment to reflex on funeral customs in general. At a minimum, if you visit a cemetary, please consider the following--

What can one learn (about history, art, custom, etc.) by spending time in a cemetery?

What sort of information can be found on the tombstones? (taking in consideration the common humorous obsevation that an epitaph is "a memorial that usually lies above about the one that lies below.")

What can you learn about the vocation, religion, health, concerns of those buried? (one of my favorite epitaphs about a dentist is "Stranger, tread this ground with gravity: Dentist Brown is filling his last cavity."

If you visit the Wynema Cemetary, see if you can discover the "other cemetary," why  the wording "Riposa in Pace" is not uncommon, and why some of the tombstones have photos on them?