Northwest Ohio's Great Black Swamp, mostly….
Toledo’s historic Woodlawn cemetery is a great place to walk, see beautiful trees, flowers, and fascinating monuments.
Ancient Egyptian style mausoleums were quite popular in this area. The collection of artifacts at the nearby Toledo Museum of Art may have influenced that, along with a general interest in Egyptian Revival art .
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John Gunckel was a Toledo Philanthropist. What’s unusual was that he wasn’t a wealthy industrialist. He worked as a ticket agent for a railroad. He started the National Newsboys Association to help poor boys working as newspaper sellers and other low-level survival jobs. The three-sided pyramid was made from stones brought from all over the world. You can read more about him and the monument here.
John Gunckel was a Toledo Philanthropist. What’s unusual was that he wasn’t a wealthy industrialist. He worked as a ticket agent for a railroad. He started the National Newsboys Association to help poor boys working as newspaper sellers and other low-level survival jobs. The three-sided pyramid was made from stones brought from all over the world. You can read more about him and the monument here.
Obelisks are popular monuments in this area. The ancient Egyptian obelisks are thought to have been symbolic of a ray of the sun. This one features Egyptian water lily carvings.
The water lily also symbolized the sun and resurrection. At night, the bud sank beneath the surface of the water, but it rises and opens in the morning.
A full view of the obelisk is here.
Obelisks are popular monuments in this area. The ancient Egyptian obelisks are thought to have been symbolic of a ray of the sun. This one features Egyptian water lily carvings.
The water lily also symbolized the sun and resurrection. At night, the bud sank beneath the surface of the water, but it rises and opens in the morning.
A detail of the carving is here.
A huge beech tree at Woodlawn cemetery.
Monuments in the form of broken trees were popular in this area. A stump, broken tree, or fallen log symbolized a life cut short.
This one is for a 5-year-old boy. His hat hangs on a branch and ivy twines around the stump. There’s a poem just to the right of the hat, but it’s difficult to read without doing a rubbing. Sadly, his faithful dog is damaged.
It’s fairly simple, but with attractive carving around the door.
The Brown monument. Here’s a close-up of the epitaph.
A nice torch and scroll motif, echoed by the shape of the stone. The burning torch is a symbol for eternal life.
More Daffodils, with a floral monument.
