Overlooking the ponds at Evergreen Cemetery are a group of above and underground tombs. This is an above ground one for the J.B. Carroll family. They all are secured with some degree of iron gates, large locks or some sort of combination of both. When I worked here, one of my jobs was cleaning the large granite tombs with my old timer Ray. He was all about rolling his own cigarettes and telling me some great stories of life in early Portland. This one is about the size of a one car garage, and it usually took us about three days to complete the job. Now, as you might notice, its been sealed with a layer of stone to prevent further entry. A sad commentary on earlier times-- they were often broken into and attempts were made to gain access to individual vaults. I think, most of us would simply say: RIP.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
RIP
Overlooking the ponds at Evergreen Cemetery are a group of above and underground tombs. This is an above ground one for the J.B. Carroll family. They all are secured with some degree of iron gates, large locks or some sort of combination of both. When I worked here, one of my jobs was cleaning the large granite tombs with my old timer Ray. He was all about rolling his own cigarettes and telling me some great stories of life in early Portland. This one is about the size of a one car garage, and it usually took us about three days to complete the job. Now, as you might notice, its been sealed with a layer of stone to prevent further entry. A sad commentary on earlier times-- they were often broken into and attempts were made to gain access to individual vaults. I think, most of us would simply say: RIP.
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Very interesting story, and you capture a beautiful detail, I love the texture and the colour there.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
Léia
Nice composition. I wonder...do jobs like that exist anymore?
ReplyDeleteGround hogs used to dig into graves of people buried in the 1800s and as kids we used to hunt for rabbits in these old overgrown cemeteries. I have actually found a wedding ring on top of the ground that some groundhog dug out of his burrow.
ReplyDeletePeople used to dig into these old graves to steal jewelry on the dead. And times have changed. I don't know anybody who buries their loved ones with the wedding bands on their fingers, but they used to.
Gorgeous shot, another interesting story to accompany it.
ReplyDeleteLook at that! The intricate gate, the rust, the patterns. I like.
ReplyDeleteIntriguing. Sad to think they're all gone.
ReplyDeleteA great image and an interesting story!
ReplyDeleteI like this story and the shot. I really like architecture in cemetaries.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! I love the colors in this print.
ReplyDeleteAbove-ground tombs in a cold-weather city is surprising. New Orleans, sure. But there are cemeteries like this in Paris, too.
ReplyDelete