CDP Theme Day: Cemetery / Tombstone

This little angel rests on top of a family headstone at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Dorchester. I'm not sure what the rocks are all about - I noticed a number of headstones through out the cemetery that had piles of small stones on top of them - some a few spread out, some piles of 6-10 clumped together.

We couldn't resist giving you just one photo, so below is a photo Whit took of the markings on a headstone in one of the burial grounds downtown (the same burial ground where Sam Adams is buried!).


As it turns out, the skull and crossbones are not an atypical grave marking for the Colonial times - it was actually one of the most common found in early New England cemeteries! It is believed that the skull and crossbones can represent the mortality of man, or it can be a symbol of death and resurrection (I guess pirates and angels have something in common?!). On the other hand , it was also used to mark the graves of those who had died of contagious disease as a sign that you shouldn't disturb the grave "lest the disease be awakened".

ETA: Thanks to all the commentors for filling us in on the meaning of the stones left atop the headstones - I knew the CDP community was a smart one! ;)

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