April 2011 - The Cemetery Detective™

South Park Cemetery – Roswell New Mexico

South Park Cemetery in Roswell New Mexico was only my second encounter with true southwestern influenced Roman Catholic mourning decorations.

My primary reason for visiting Roswell was to find UFOs, Aliens, and blinking lights in the starlit backdrop of an April New Mexico sky. I am quite sure I spotted a few aliens albeit not of the extra-terrestrial variety. However, I did spy spooky shaped streetlights and a McDonald’s bearing a striking resemblance to a silvery disc embedded and crumpled into a rocky outcropping after an out-of-control plummet through earth’s lower atmosphere.

While the search for Aliens left me cold, tromping though Roswell’s South Park Cemetery lofted my spirits considerably higher than the ability of any weather balloon displayed at the local UFO Museum.

South Park Cemetery was only my second encounter with true southwestern influenced Roman Catholic mourning decorations. I was entranced as colorful ornamentation dazzled me under the brilliant desert sun. Royal blues, baby blues, desert pinks, and brilliant reds adorne every corner of the South Park Cemetery. I love the characterization of Mary trodding on the serpent that is so prevalent in South Park Cemetery.

I truly anticipated watching a famous New Mexico sunset from South Park Cemetery but, unfortunately, management close their office doors around 5:00 PM. The caretakers did not shoo me away and the gates were left open but I was on my way before anyone asked me to do so.

Awww well, I spent a good 90 minutes exploring the tombstones and counting all the Mary and Jesus statues. Besides, the darkening sky meant my gaze would soon turn away from ground level tombstone observations and, instead, turn to the nighttime ethereal sphere where I hoped to catch a glimpse of blinking lights and little green men beckoning me to join them above.

Mary and Snake Grave Marker Closeup — Mary and Snake Grave Marker Tombstone

Jesus Grave Marker South Park Cemetery Roswell New Mexico — Jesus Grave Marker

Mary Behind Glass - Grave Marker — Mary Behind Glass – Grave Marker

Mary Behind Bars - Grave Stone - South Park Cemetery Roswell New Mexico — Mary Behind Bars

South Park Cemetery Overview - Roswell New Mexico — South Park Cemetery Overview – Roswell New Mexico

Nearby Attraction: UFO Museum & Research Center

Ringgold Cemetery – Ringgold, Texas

Ringgold Cemetery, Ringgold Texas

Ringgold Cemetery

In my home state of Tennessee, I am used to finding cemeteries nestled within huge forested lands. If the cemetery is on an expanse of farmland or atop one of our beautiful mountains, I am often lucky enough to enjoy a few miles of unobstructed visibility.

In contrast to our landscape back home, the plains of west Texas offer amazing vistas that I just don’t get to view in Tennessee. On my cemetery hunting trip across America, I found a cemetery with such a vista driving just outside the dusty Texas town of Ringgold.

Upon pulling off I-82, I expected to find a small barren piece of land with no greenery in sight. Instead, Ringgold Cemetery offered a wide expanse of green grass offset by an azure blue horizon. Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles await visitors to Ringgold Cemetery.

The grave sites are sparse yet many tombstones stand in contrast to the mostly flat land.

Cara Dilane Fenoglio — A Texas Star Gravemarker

Nearby: Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.

Nacona Cemetery – Nacona Texas 76255

Nacona is a nice cemetery and I was surprised at the greenery.

Driving down route 82 just outside of Nacona, Texas, I passed a couple of great looking, small, dusty cemeteries with not a touch of grass around them. April winds blew sandy soil into small ripples and tombstones looked sandblasted from all the fine granular soil endlessly pelting them. One after another I passed these cemeteries vowing to stop at the next. I love these types of cemeteries.

Nacona Cemetery popped up on my GPS and I envisioned an old west cemetery similar to the ones I had already driven by. I was surprised at the greenery within the cemetery and the well manicured grass. The greenery is pleasing though I also enjoy cemeteries that allow the natural substrate to show through.

Nacona is still active and over 5200 people have been interred there. The graves are very well documented and the Nacona Cemetery website gives virtual visitors a tremendous amount of information of the burial sites. Well done.

Nacona Cemetery, Nacona Texas 76255 — Nacona Cemetery Gravemarkers, Nacona, Texas

Evergreen Cemetery – Paris Texas

In Texas, even Jesus wears cowboy boots.

In Texas, even Jesus wears cowboy boots.
I have many fond memories of Texas but there are several that stand out as high points. First, you can drive down some two-lane roads at 75 MPH and people in front of you will ease onto the shoulder (while maintaining their speed) to let you pass. Second, the stars at night really are big and bright. Third, even Jesus wears cowboy boots.

I pulled into Paris Texas under an early evening sun with enough daylight left for a quick tour of Evergreen Cemetery. I had heard rumors that a cowboy boot wearing Jesus statue was a must see in this sprawling and very crowded cemetery. With eyes peeled I drove row after row of graveled streets looking at the base of every monolith. Cowboy boots, much less on Jesus’ feet, were nowhere to be seen.

Dusk approached quicker than I wanted and as I turned onto a seemingly perpetually long row of tombstones I caught the glimpse of a murky blurr. Was that Jesus, in cowboy boots, running through the darkening cemetery? No, it was a bobcat. I grabbed my camera and barreled out of the car in a mad dash to attempt a perfect snapshot of this beautiful bobcat darting amongst the rows of tombstones.

In un-Ansel Adams like fashion I ran at top speed with my camera outstretched toward the bobcat. Little did he realize I was hot on his trail and able to see his furry ears pointing above a tablet-styled tombstone behind which he sought refuge. With visions of O.J. Simpson dashing through airports and hurdling piles of luggage in those late 1970’s Samsonite commercials, my feet propelled me through the air to finally land directly in front of my prey.

Somewhere, in mid-air, I took an instantaneous moment to consider the fullness of my impending predicament. Here I was, in a darkening cemetery running crazily after a frightened wild animal capable of inflicting, if nothing else, deep and infectious lacerations to my limbs and torso. Ah, too late to think of the ramifications, I steadied my index finger on my camera’s shutter release in preparations of what was sure to be an amazing photograph of a beautiful healthy bobcat in front of a southwestern tombstone with a Texas sunset in the back ground. “This is going to be great. What if I am lucky enough to capture the moment when he leaps, claws outstretched, right in front of Jesus’ cowboy boots” I thought microseconds before landing.

Unfortunately, this bobcat’s perfect portrait was not meant to be as he became alert to my whisper-less flight and bolted an instant before my flashbulb illuminated the darkened cemetery.

And with one blurry picture taken, the excitement was finished. Now my task of finding Jesus with cowboy boots and the other interesting grave markers of Evergreen Cemetery was before me.

Luckily, the Texas twilight gave me enough time to find Jesus’ cowboy boots and a few other very interesting markers. See the pictures below.

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Nearby Attractions: Jaxx Burgers

State Line Cemetery – Texarkana Arkansas

Arkansas State Line Cemetery – Texarkana Arkansas
According to the sign on the entry gate, if you are over 8’3” tall you will have to mind your head when entering Arkansas State Line Cemetery.

State Line Cemetery - Woodlawn Cemetery - Texarkana Arkansas — State Line Cemetery – Texarkana Arkansas

Arkansas State Line Cemetery – Texarkana Arkansas
According to the sign on the entry gate, if you are over 8’3” tall you will have to mind your head when entering Arkansas State Line Cemetery. Fortunately, The Cemetery Detective is a couple feet (plus some) shy of this mark. State Line Cemetery is either also known as Woodlawn Cemetery or it directly borders Woodlawn Cemetery. Any readers who know the facts about the name of this cemetery are welcome to email me and I will set the record straight in this blog.

There are two particularly interesting tombstones within this cemetery that stood out. The first is a very detailed carving of a broken tree that adornes Abraham Parking’s tombstone.

The second carving is of a little girl with a missing arm that stands guard of Maggie Purifoy’s grave site and overlooks, with downcast eyes, visitors to her grave site.

Broken Tree Grave Marker Carving — Broken Tree – Similar to broken columns on other grave markers.

Maggie Purifoy's Grave Marker - Lace Dress, Bare Feet, and Chubby Legs — Maggie Purifoy’s Grave Marker – Lace Dress, Bare Feet, and Chubby Legs

Chinese Cemetery & Live Oak Cemetery – Greenville Mississippi

Chinese Cemetery and Live Oak Cemetery, Greenville Mississippi

Chinese Cemetery, Greenville Mississippi — Chinese Cemetery, Greenville Misssissippi

I am often intrigued by the differences between well maintained cemeteries and those that have fallen into disrepair. What factors contribute to one cemetery being neatly maintained versus another, in essentially the same location, being allowed to become over grown and strewn with litter?

While visiting Chinese Cemetery and Live Oak Cemetery in Greenville, MS I found these two adjacent cemeteries portrayed very different levels of maintenance. Both cemeteries where gated and fenced although Live Oak Cemetery had an open design that allowed for visitors 24 hours per day while the Chinese Cemetery’s gates were locked after official visiting hours and did not allow for visitors during the nighttime hours.

Chinese Cemetery displayed a distinct ethnic pride and all persons interred within the cemetery were of apparently similar ethnic heritage. Live Oak Cemetery did not appear to have a cultural reference other than to reflect the community, at large, surrounding it. While the community appeared to be socioeconomically depressed I do not find in my cemetery research, that socioeconomic status, by itself, directly correlates to the general upkeep of a cemetery. I have visited many well-kept cemeteries in many depressed neighborhoods.

Live Oak Cemetery, Greenville Mississippi

Above and beyond willingness and ability to pay money to have entire cemeteries and individual gravesites maintained, community pride seems to be an important factor in general upkeep of a community cemetery as does a core group of concerned citizens who take it upon themselves to instill community pride in a well-kept cemetery. If I were to hypothisise, I would suppose that Chinese Cemetery is cared for by a close-knit community of friends and family members who have a continuing desire to honor the interred.

Conversely, Live Oak Cemetery might have recently lost their core group of close-knit members of the community who, in years past, took great pride in properly maintaining their family’s plots. Without an emphasis for the need of community involvement, a cemetery such as Live Oak Cemetery can quickly become overgrown and derelict.

With a small amount of community involvement, Live Oak Cemetery can quickly be turned around and become as well cared for as Chinese Cemetery in Greenville, Mississippi.

Nearby: Tamale Shop

Helm Cemetery – Shaw Mississippi

Helm Cemetery – Shaw Mississippi. If spring warming had caused crop growth to be a few inches higher we would have never seen the cemetery on the horizon. We were driving down Highway 61 on a late April day and I dare say if our trip had been delayed until May we would have completely missed Helm Cemetery.

Like so many cemeteries we pass along the roadside, this Cemetery hides engulfed in a farmer’s field. It is appropriate though since many of these cemeteries are populated with farmers and sharecroppers of old.

We didn’t stay long. The muddy ground made for difficult foot navigation toward and through the cemetery.

Key Underwood Coon Dog Cemetery – Cherokee Alabama

The Coon Dog Cemetery tombstones and epitaphs will make any animal lover shed a tear.

While I normally confine my cemetery research to those of the human variety, I can be easily lead astray when it comes to interesting cemeteries that do not contain human remains. When I heard of the Coon Dog Cemetery in Cherokee Alabama, my interest was immediately piqued. Coon Dog Cemetery? Seriously? I have visited several pet cemeteries but never an entire cemetery dedicated to one specific breed of dog.

“Alright, what the heck? This will be good for a quick laugh.” I thought as I drove Alabama’s secluded backwoods roads peering through my bug-splattered windshield for Coon Dog Cemetery Road. Maybe there will be two or three sticks in the ground marking a few crude burial sites where dog owners laid the remains of their hunting companions.

Well, I have to tell you I wasn’t laughing when I pulled into the Key Underwood Coon Dog Cemetery. There before me laid the remains of 185 beloved members of hunting families delicately honored with tombstones and epitaphs that could make any animal lover shed a tear.

There is:

Greasy’s Spot
Gypsy
Old Red
Squeek
Preacher
Hank
Daisy
Strait Talkn’ Tex
Blue Flash and Blue Flash Jr.
Tree Talkin’ Train
Papa
Lassie
So Blue Rocky
Bear
Beanblossom Bommer
Duke
Old Roy
Ranger
Ruff
High Pocket
Lulubelle
Doctor Doom
and, not to forget to mention, TROOP, the first coondog buried in the Coondog Cemetery on September 4, 1937.

Troop September 4, 1937 — Troop – September 4, 1937

The Coon Dog Cemetery is only intended for the interment of “straight” coon dogs. That means, coon dogs that spend their pursuits of game other than Raccoons are not welcome. Does your dog run rabbit, squirrel, armadillo, or deer? Then your dog is not welcome here. Is your dog part chow, Labrador, Shepard, or (God forbid) poodle? Then you best bury it elsewhere.

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Nearby Attraction: The Rattlesnake Saloon

How to get to the Coon Dog Cemetery:

Florence Cemetery – Florence Alabama

Florence Cemetery in Florence Alabama is the final resting place of Alabama Governors, a city Mayor, and an author or two.

Florence Cemetery in Florence Alabama is the final resting place of Alabama Governors, a city Mayor, and an author or two. Immediately outside the cemetery walls, 6 feet under busy Tennessee Street lies a cantankerous outlaw who claimed “no one will ever run over me.” City residents saw to it his claims would prove to be false as thousands of people run over him every single day.

I visited Florence Cemetery on a warm April day. Though a brisk breeze blew, a bright Alabama sun beat down upon me. The sun burns me quickly at the beginning of the summer season and I was thankful for the copious numbers of trees which shade much of the older portions of the cemetery. Scattered throughout the grounds are groves of tall standing Juniper trees. Cemetery maintenance workers expertly prune lower branches away from tombstones and monuments making for isolated shady areas within which I enjoyed exploring tombstone engravings without the risk of an annoying April sunburn.

Florence Cemetery is on the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register as of March 2009.

Notable Tombstones & Monuments:

Florence Cemetery Mountain Tom Clark — Mountain Tom Clark

Trees in a cemetery — Shady grove of trees in Florence Cemetery

Emmet O'Neil - Alabama Governor — Emmet O’Neil – Alabama Governor 1911 – 1915

Ovals in a cemetery plot. — Oval Grave Markers within a cemetery plot.

Nearby: When visiting Florence Cemetery, be sure to “run” over Mountain Tom Clark’s gravesite on Tennessee Street, visit historic downtown Florence, and reflect on your visit with a Panini and iced tea at Rivertown Coffee, Inc. (as I’m doing right now).