The Gang takes on Magnolia Cemetery!

The Pyramid at Magnolia Cemetery

THIS IS IT! The blog post everyone was waiting for, a trip to the grand Magnolia Cemetery. This Cemetery is unlike any that I have visited. The beautiful scenery, almost made me forget that the dead was buried there. Its atmosphere holds a historical sense to it. While exploring the massive landscape, I ran into a pyramid in the south, a beautiful lake, and a tribute to the confederate soldiers. Stay tune and remember to bring bug spray.

Opened in 1850, Magnolia Cemetery contains 150 acres of land, and is a eternal resting place to over 35,000 people. The land is well kept, and it has a beautiful bridge over a wide lake. There are hundreds of different pathways to travel on and make your own little

It was difficult to choose 3 out of 35,000 masterpiece, but one of my all time favorite is the grand monument dedicated to Elbert P. Jones. He was born in Kentucky on September 23, 1814, and it says that he died in Charleston on April 1, 1892. It is also stated on the monument that Jones was a resident of San Francisco, California for the last six years of his life.

A tribute to Elbert P. Jones 

The top of the monument is a masterpiece, it is a sculpture of what is present in many catholic churches. It even has its own iron gate surrounding the monument. The wife of Jones did an excellent job of creating a tribute to her husband, the first words written are " A tribute of affection to a beloved husband".

Next is the elaborate family section dedicated to the Revel family. The section is surrounded by stone, and at the entrance is a very detailed gate. What really drew my attention toward the Revel's burial site, was the statue placed in the center. The statue depicts a women (maybe Jesus' mother, Mary) holding onto to the cross, with a crown flower in her hand.

The Revels' family burial site

The Statue itself is dedicated to Ellen and Mathew Revel. Ellen died on February 27, 1899, at the age of 65. Mathew died on January 15, 1906, at the age of 80. written at the bottom is "In life I loved thee, in death I mourn thee."

To add to the historic atmosphere of Magnolia, it is a resting place for 2,200 confederate veterans. It even has a section dedicated to the fallen soldiers. So in honor of this, the last monument that sparked my interest was one dedicated to James Brown Boyd.

Boyd was in the Palmetto Guards. He was in 2nd S.C regt Sergeant who died during the battle of Sharpburg, in Maryland on September 17th, 1862. With a confederate flag placed in the ground in front of the small monument. At the top is stoned vase full of flowers. It signify the grief of the loss of a great Sergeant.  

A tribute to Sergt. James Brown Boyd

 Overall, the trip to Magnolia was one for the books! It was an amazing experience, and who knew that so much is within a cemetery. It was a beautiful view and I would encourage other to take a stroll through Magnolia, bring friends, and lots of bug spray!

The lake at Magnolia
Cemetery

Symbolism in its deadly.

Bethel United Methodist Church, located downtown Charleston, is a resting place for over 500 souls.
 In 1792, the church was special, because it served both blacks and whites. There are even enslaved and free slaves buried in the graveyard. But sadly,, most of the headstones are cracked due to natural and man made offensives. Here are just a few of the mysterious, yet beautiful crafted symbols on the headstones.

This neat and well sculpture, head stone belongs to Rosa Mary,
She was on born October 9th 1835, and died on November 2nd 1881.The drape signfies mournig of the family, and the flowers mean grief,

The next head stone belongs to Olin B, Davis. There is another arrangement of flowers, instead this one is of roses. Roses could of been Olin's favorite flower, or it could also is a sign of the families grief of the lost of Olin Davis.


The ledger stone belongs to Lousia M. Reeder. With the words across the top with "Our mother". The reef under the words, signify the how much her children appreciated her as their mother or how she served an important role in others' lives.


Joseph W. Ainger's headstone is one of several, that are laid up against the wall of the church. With the words "Our Brother" above his name. At the top. is a sophisticated crown with a cross inside. This symbol appears on many headstones. According to Patrick Harwood , in his book The Arms of Angles Magnolia Cemetery, the symbol means " suffering (the cross) followed by eternal reward (the crown)" (159).

A head stones down from Jospeh Ainger's, is his mother Elizabeth M. Ainger. Born on October 14th 1807, and died on October 6th 1872. In the same design, except, the arrangement of flowers and the dove about it. The flowers still signify the grief of the family, but the dove also signifies how at peace they are under the somber circumstances.


 Another head stone that is laid against the wall, is the head stone of James F. Lobd. It is beautifully crafted, with the detail of a weeping willow tree. The tree symbolizes growth and harmony.

The ledger stone of a small child by the name of Seth
Piror, is surrounded by the ledger stone of his family. What is unique
about Seth's ledger stone, is a lamb, which looks to be on a marble slate.
This could mean how innocent he was, since he died at the young age
of 3. A lamb ready for his master to claim him, in his humble state.


One of the beautiful symbol is the one belonging to Mary Cruiskant. Unfortunately, Mary's elaborate headstone is cracked, and is hidden in the parking lot. But the detailed craved potrait of the missing women speaks for itself, The font that her name matches the photo. The grief of Mary's family is the proof on her tombstone.

The last, sadly, head stone belongs to Thammis Smalls. The dark exterior around this symbols adds to the symbol. It appears to be angle wings with an hour glass in the center, and ax going through it,This symbol could been that family thought Thammis was an angle and that his time was set in stone.

Let me introduce ya'll to my great grandma: Marie Bradshaw Wright

Marie Bradshaw Wright. Holding my eldest sister, Rosalind Ramirez

 Marie Bradshaw Wright. She was born on September 10th, 1910, and she lived a pretty normal life for an African American young women during this time. She was born in raised on the outskirts of a small town called Bishopvile in South Carolina.

She grew up in a small house on Eden street with her parents, and her four siblings (two boys, two girls). Marie was the baby of the family, and she attended school up until the eighth grade. She grew up during segregation, and attended a small one room school with one big boy wood heater.

After school, young Maria did not play with toys or even do homework. Instead she changed out of her school clothes, put on her field clothes, and ether pick or hold the cotton depending on the season.  At the end of the day, her father would collect all the cotton the family picked, present it the foremen who would then weigh the cotton and record it. The cotton was worth only one or two cent a pound.

Entering the early ages of her adulthood, she married a young sol
ider who served in World War II named James Roberson Sr, and they had one son together, named James Roberson Jr. The two were not married long, due to James being murder. Later, she married a John Wright Jr and together they had three boys and two girls.

Marie, in addition to picking cotton, she also became a maid working in a "big house", and only made $25 a week. During the last few years of her life, Marie and John were well known throughout the town as the first black family to own a car, a T.V, and a house phone. She raised two of her grandchildren, making it a total of six people living under one roof. After John passed away in March of 1989, Marie passed away in June of the same year. The cause of her death, according to doctors, was a broken heart from her one true love.