This large sphere was probably a standard item in some monument-maker’s catalogue, but we do not see it very often. John Hopper, Jr., died in 1894, and that seems a reasonable date for this monument.
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Hopper Monument, Melrose Cemetery
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McKown Obelisk, Melrose Cemetery
This is a fairly standard obelisk with some extra ornamentation to make sure it is not too plain for Victorian taste. There must be an interesting family story in the inscription. Alfred McKown married a woman more than thirty years younger than he was. When he died, it seems that the 29- or 30-year-old widow married a man named Clark. She did not live to see forty, and she is memorialized here. If she is buried here, one wonders what became of Mr. Clark.
The name “Blacks” appears below the inscription; is it the name of the stonecutter or monument dealer?
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Gilmore-Donaldson Stump, Melrose Cemetery
A typical rustic stump, and not the most artistic one Father Pitt has seen. The “Gilmore” inscription appears to be the original one, with “Donaldson” added later. The idea of bark peeled away to reveal the family name is clever, but some effort should have been put into making the peeled-away bark match the shape of the section from which it is supposed to have been peeled away.
This stump stands in the middle of the Donaldson family plot, which is marked by four small rustic stumps at the corners—something old Pa Pitt has never seen before.
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Teyssier Monument, Melrose Cemetery
A very odd monument; on a rustic slab, botanical reliefs (lilies, ferns, ivy) surround what looks like a televisor from the old Flash Gordon serials.