"They're fascinating. That's why I think it's so important. They are a value to everybody." - Ruth Miller
So what exactly is it that Ruth is talking about that is so important? History? Religion? Culture? The answer is a combination of the three; gravestones. Studying gravestones and cemeteries will give you insight to all three of those categories. In fact there an entire organization of people dedicated to exactly this, called the AGS, Association of Gravestone Studies. https://www.gravestonestudies.org/ This nonprofit organization dedicates itself to education, appreciation and conservation of gravestones and burial grounds.
The history involved with the analyzation of gravestones is immense. I could tell from when Ruth spoke to our First Year Experience class "Beyond the Grave" on September 12, that she was largely interested in the history surrounding these burial sites. She joked about how she could go on about the history forever and had to cut off the conversation about the history to get to the rest of her presentation.
Gravestones demonstrate religion, depicting different religious symbols and beliefs about the afterlife. As Miller stated, back in the 1800's "any seven people can constitute a faith. Baptists, Quakers, Congregationalists, etc" These faiths were represented uniquely through the gravestones they produced.
Cultural significance is a main topic of discussion when referring to the study of graveyards and gravestones. Cultures vary by place and time. "It's interesting how these things...it's the culture that moves around." -Miller. Locally, we have an array of 18th century cemeteries. In fact, Charleston has the best collection of 18th century cemeteries in the United States, as I learned from Miller during her presentation. This was for two reasons, the first being that Charleston has no natural stone. Miller joked, "If you go to the beach and you get a pebble between your toes, somebody hauled it there." Wealthy Charlestonians had their stone transported here. The carvers of that time demonstrated the culture and emphasis on art in the 1800's. The second reason being Charleston has more of these types of tombstones than anywhere else.
All this and more makes me excited to get out and explore what I've heard such great and interesting things about, the gravestones of Charleston! Here is a picture of two intelligent and dedicated people to the study of Charleston's grave sites. I have already learned so much through both of them, I can't wait to see what fun the rest of the semester holds!
