We lie down in darkness and have our light in ashes.
You know you love cemeteries if you find yourself in one at noon on one of the hottest days of the year in GEORGIA. Gahhh. Y’all, I was a sweaty but very pleased mess by the time I met my friend for brunch!* I sound like a broken record but can’t wait to go back when the weather is cooler. That blue sky is pretty spectacular though…
*My Parent’s Basement for those interested in Atlanta eats. It’s a restaurant, arcade and comic book shop all-in-one with tons of good food options that lean toward locally sourced. It’s loud and casual, and a great place to just chillax. Not paid for this mention, just a favorite spot and I like to support a non-chain/local place when I can!
The Old Section of Decatur Cemetery dates back to around 1827 and predates not only the inclusion of the railroad [which was huge for not only the area but also for the entire state…did you , but also the establishment of Atlanta itself. It’s expanded over time and in the 1920s the New Section was created in the garden style of the time.
This is one of the most unique cast iron pieces I’ve ever seen. And I have to give credit to a friend who gave me the cemetery scoop on this one! It’s a bit out of the way…
If you’d like to read more on cast iron then visit my previous post here.
An original memorial poem to Gregg Smith who died in 2005.
This sculpture is titled The Reading Girl. Beverly was only 6 years old when she was struck and killed while riding her bike near her home. Known for her love for books and for sneaking late night reading sessions, her parents commissioned this sculpture of her based on a family photo.
This piece is actually a memorial bench for Philip David Hicks. Phillip, who is buried near the sculpture, died in 1997 at the tragically young age of 17 and his parents commissioned this piece for visitors to sit and reflect. The concept is based on one of Phillip’s own drawings and the final piece was designed by his father.
His grave has an Eagle Scout emblem and bears the inscription Forever Prepared. [not pictured]
Hovie Lister was the founder and pianist for the famous Statesmen Quartet of Atlanta, Georgia. After playing for the Lister Brothers, the Lone Star Quartet, The Sand Mountain Quartet, Rangers Quartet, The Lefevre Trio, and Homeland Harmony Quartet, Hovie established a group in 1948 that would set the standard in gospel music for decades to come.
Hovie grew up attending shaped note-signing schools such as Stamps-Baxter School of Music in Dallas, Texas, and this allowed him to connect with other great musicians, singers, and songwriters in the gospel music circle. Once in Atlanta, Hovie scored a gospel radio show hosted on WCON, where he played records and quickly established an all-male Quartet to perform on the radio program and promote themselves for concert dates. Under his leadership, the Statesmen became the first gospel quartet to be featured on national television. Hovie also scripted and starred in the show’s commercials promoting Nabisco Saltine Crackers or Nilla Wafers. source: findagrave
I was drawn to the graves of these 2 women, and while they were separated by time and space I feel like they would’ve been friends in real life…
This sweet dog statue wears the collar of a pup that passed on. *cries*
The grave of Thomas Holley Chivers is buried under some old fallen branches and it seems fitting that this is the way of it. Chivers, a controversial figure of sorts who married his cousin, co-opted Native American imagery in his work and held plantation lands, was a frenemy of Edgar Allen Poe. They met regularly and Chivers is convinced that Poe was influenced by his works or, in the case of The Raven, stole them outright. Despite outliving Poe by many decades, Chivers memory is very much [read: totally] eclipsed by Poe’s continued success and notoriety.
I’m working on a piece solely focused on the African-American section but if you’d like a virtual tour of the cemetery as a whole then you can find a map here.
