The Art and Architecture of Death
The polished Doric columns seem almost out of place on this otherwise rustic mausoleum. The effect is like the effect of a mixed metaphor: it draws attention to itself, though you understand what it means.
A very respectable between-the-wars mausoleum, with the flatter top that had become fashionable on classical mausoleums in the early twentieth century. This one is made of expensive polished granite.
A beautiful abstract classical memorial that reminds old Pa Pitt of middle-twentieth-century cartoons of heaven. The most recent inscription remembers Marian Becker Cummins, who died in 2017 at the age of 101.
A Doric mausoleum with rusticated stone: a very common sort of design, but very dignified, and much more picturesque when we add autumn leaves. The stained glass inside is a standard design from the catalogue.
A typical Doric cube of the early twentieth century. The stained glass is rather good. Charles A. Brooks was interred here in 1906, and Anna Cloyde Woodward Brooks in 1931; according to cemetery records, they are the only residents.
A simple Doric design whose severity is moderated by a Greek-key decoration.
Presumably “Theo” is an abbreviation for Theodore, though it could also be Theobald or Theophilus. This is a standard rusticated Doric mausoleum with a good Sacred Heart window.
A simple Doric mausoleum with extra space for a large family. The stained glass inside is very good, except that (in Father Pitt’s opinion) the wreath-and-swag decoration rather spoils the effect of the naturalistic forest and stream.
A Doric mausoleum with a wreath in the pediment. The rusticated stone gives the structure, which bears the date 1906, a richness of texture that contrasts well with its simplified Doric entablature.
A somewhat unusual shape for a classical mausoleum. The bronze door is striking, with an Art Nouveau arrangement of cross and palms.
