A tree stump with a parchment sign. Where is the death date?
A Scrabble headstone. You have to really, really love Scrabble.
There is a lot going on here. Hippie perhaps? I don't know.
A love seat. I can't imagine a grave is somewhere people will want to lounge around, but I could be wrong.
A motorcycle. Pretty cool.
Big time Stones fan I guess.
Did this person love laundry? Invent the clothes pin? I don't know.
Geek in life, geek in death.
A little log cabin.
This looks Japanese, but I can't be sure.
Looks like an old, dead tree.
I don't understand this one. He looks like a military radioman, yet his is bald and shirtless, and looks like Golem from Lord of the Rings. It also looks like he has a bell tower on his back. I would be interested to know what it all means.
"There once was a man from Venus, with a rocket ship for a..." Dang, I forgot how that goes.
The log theme seems pretty popular.
This is my favorite. The bronze statue is breaking out of the grave. Awesome.
Looks like Swiss cheese, or honeycomb.
A mirrored glass sculpture grave marker.
Not sure about this one. Is that a jackal?
Two large hands holding a cross. Looks bronze, and expensive.
A horse missing part of it's face and hind leg. I don't know if it is damaged, or was constructed this way.
If Matchbox or Hotwheels made graves.
This one is funny.
I have no idea what 30% off means. An inside joke perhaps?
Burn, he got you! He was sick!
W.C. Fields. Nuff said.
ReplyDelete"On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
[...] Wither GM [...]
ReplyDeleteCan't really tell on the others, but the last "log" stone is a Woodmen of the World headstone.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodmen_of_the_World#Tombstones
Cool post, love the site, visit nearly every day.
The guy with the radio and microphone in his hand...that is an Amateur Radio callsign under his name
ReplyDelete"I told you I was sick."
ReplyDeletelol.. I have a few relatives that would want that one.
That first one is Mel Blanc!
ReplyDeleteGood collection. I saw the I told you "I was sick one in Key West
ReplyDelete'
LMAO....nuthin' gets past Rizzo
ReplyDeleteGreat post. That one that looks like swiss cheese also looks like coral. Thanks for the effort!
ReplyDeleteA little iconic, some laconic...mostly Sardonic!
ReplyDeleteJohn
My Dad used to say we should put 'Beneath this sod lies another' on his gravestone but of course, we didn't.
ReplyDeletevery interesting. really enjyed.
ReplyDeleteI think the "jackal" is Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead.
ReplyDeleteInstead of a jackal, it looks more like a fox that's been in the hen house to me. Or is that NOT a chicken in the sack?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a sphinx headstone.
ReplyDeleteVery cool. Could the headstone with the figure that looks like Gollum be Quasimodo?
ReplyDeleteThe one that looks like Gollum belongs to Charles Jacob Affelder. He had numerous patents of the condenser radio microphone and radio. He was an avid radio operator since 1933, inventing and patenting newer and better radios during those years.
ReplyDeleteThe one that might be Japanese - my guess would be more Norse or Norwegian in inspiration. They were famous for their wood churches of much the same shape. Many people don't know that Christianity took strong root among the Vikings.
ReplyDeleteMost tree stump or "dead tree" headstones are indicative of IOOF (International Order Of Foresters) or Woodmen Of The World members.
ReplyDeleteThey missed a good one - a full size Mercedes limo for a grave marker.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10560
George Q. Whitney (30% off) was probably of the "I can get it for you wholesale" salesman variety.
ReplyDeleteThe Scrabble headstone looks as though it's missing an "L" in "LOVEABLE", and an "F" in "FOOTFALL". Otherwise the groups of words don't connect, and at least one word doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteSome of these might make more sense if the names were visible (therefore researchable), as well.
I believe W.C. Fields' marker actually reads, "On the whole, I would rather be here than living in Philadelphia." I seem to remember reading that somewhere, possible an old edition of American Heritage magazine.
ReplyDeleteHi- I designed and built this Scrabble headstone for my fiance. Thanks for the recognition. And yes he really did love scrabble. It will be five years this month. Also, responding to the post by "anonymous" 3/2/10, those are the "blank" tiles from the game and were intentional.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much
Heather
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/heedymarie?ref=profile
My headstone should read:
ReplyDeleteI'm not here - I haven't attended a single funeral in my life, and I'll be dead and gone before I attend my own!
I'd like to think I would put something spiritually uplifting on my tombstone but deep inside, I'd like to put.... 'You can't hurt me NOW!'
ReplyDeleteThey are all too cool and a tribute to their creativity and individuality. What a way to go!!
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe people are putting quotes on their headstones, its the family that does this
ReplyDeleteAll our tombstones should say:
ReplyDeleteJesus will save you, IF you ask Him to.
Neither a jackal, nor Anubis - it's the fox Reynaert (Reynard), main character in the Middle Dutch epic poem Van den vos Reynaerde. Though based on Latin and French sources, it's a splendid work in its own right. In the background, three lines from the beginning of the work can be seen: het was in eenen tsinxen daghe / dat beede bosch ende haghe / met groenen loveren waren bevaen ...
ReplyDeleteI think the cemetery is Campo Santo in Sint Amandsberg near Gent (Ghent), Belgium.
I feel badly that you make light of headstones without concern for the feelings of the families of the deceased. I know I feel badly - my father's headstone is that of the radio "Gollum."
ReplyDeleteThe 30% off one? My friend recognized the name as a car part catalog that used to be in print.
ReplyDeleteThe radio headstone contains "N3AVU" which is his Amateur Radio call sign.
ReplyDeleteAll tombstone are very unique.Tombstone in tree stump shape is looking very gorgeous.
ReplyDeletehow can we add a unusual tombstone to your website
ReplyDeleteThese are the coolest gravestones ever. I've truly never considered gravestones as an art form. There are so many different avenues an artist could take. As a person mentioned above; I wonder what all these gravestone designs mean to these individuals?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dobsonsmonumental.com.au/monumental/lawn/
I would love to have a really unique gravestone like this. A lot of these are so well known that everybody knows who they belong to. It would be great for people to know my gravestone without ever even reading a name. If nothing else it will be something cool for family and friends to see whenever they visit me.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sjcemeteries.com/memorial-products/
Wow superb work of headstones, i really like all pictures!!! congrats
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know anything of the crumbling horse grave marker? That's a very old style representation of a horse, and the fact it's crumbling makes me think it's likely pretty old itself.
ReplyDeleteWow awesome work, i really liked the headstones!!
ReplyDelete