Series: Found Art of Forgotten Graveyards, Tree Tombstones Many of the early American fraternal organizations were also "benevolent societies" adept in pooling resources to help club members through tough times. In this pre-insurance company era, being a member of any of the hundreds of secret societies offered (in addition to a well-stocked bar) a degree of personal security. Included in the membership of many of these organizations were various funerary services, at times including a pre-paid tombstone. As this was a period of "rusticism" in rural funerary art, items such as carved boulders, veiled stacks of stones and other naturalistic forms became common. It was the tree tombstone, however, that allowed the greatest room for expression and is considered the most fantastic of the genre. Along with the usually-modest tree stones associated with membership in "secret" societies, exceptionally intricate examples of tree tombstones were also created. Following are a few stand-out examples…
Posted on: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 21:52:26 +0000
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