This monument may date from as early as 1868, the date of the earliest Lysle burial old Pa Pitt found in the family plot. The cartouches on the base look as though they were meant for inscriptions; but if there were ever any inscriptions there, they have been thoroughly obliterated by time.
“Rustic” tree stumps in stone are a surprisingly popular form of monument. Sometimes they carry the name of a deceased family member on the stump of each sawed-off branch, an obvious symbolism that old Pa Pit thinks verges on the tasteless. The Clark monument is an interesting variation on the idea, with its ivy vine and owl adding to the romantic country atmosphere.
The more one looks at this column, the odder it seems. One can only describe the style as “Egyptian Gothic.” The main column has an Egyptian capital, as do the smaller columns at the corners of the base; but the form of the base is Victorian Classical-Gothic. The statue on top holds the rope of Hope’s anchor in her left hand; she also holds something in her right hand, but Father Pitt has not been able to figure out what it is.
A larger-than-average Doric mausoleum whose hillside location allows for an impressive stairway. Its best feature is the beautiful Tiffany-like stained glass in the rear.
A statue, perhaps of a wingless recording angel (writing “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord”), tops a tastefully simple classical monument.
