"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith." - Steve Jobs
In my cemetery travels, too often I find statues that are victims of time and vandalism. Time, I can’t do anything about. I feel helpless with the vandalism, too. It’s a sad subject, but, one I'd like to write about here.
This is how the Whitlock memorial in Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, NY looks today. It is the resting place of Arthur P. Whitlock, J. Robert Whitlock, and J. Robert’s wife, Mary Root Whitlock.
The monument stands on a hill that rises above Oakwood’s Dedication Valley, the oldest section of the cemetery. From this location, you hear the constant drone of vehicles traveling up and down nearby Interstate 81 as it winds through the city.
The Whitlock monument did not always look like this.
Back when J. Robert, Arthur, and Mary were interred in 1888, 1899 and 1911 respectively, sculptor J.C. Esser had a different vision.
There was an ornate urn with fabric drape sitting at the top. The statue in the center was originally an angel that was modeled after J.C. Esser's daughter. Over the years the angel lost her wings and eventually her head. The urn is gone, too.
All that remains is the body, hands holding a wreath. She has been moved and removed over the years, facing backward and forwards, and at one point laying on the ground.
Still, she makes an interesting subject to photograph, don’t you think?
Another of my favorite statues at Oakwood Cemetery met a similar fate.
This is Ella Rosa Burt who passed away from illness in 1872. She was just 19 years old. Ella sits in repose on another hill, not far from the grave of her parents, Oliver Teall Burt, and Rebecca Johnson Burt.
This is a wonderful example of sculpture. The hands are so life-like if you reached out to touch them you might expect them to feel warm and supple,
On the left is the only picture I could find of Ella Rosa. The quality is not very good, but even so, she appears serene and lovely. The Ella of today is on the right.
About three miles away from Oakwood is St. Agnes Cemetery and a statue that has deep personal meaning for me.
I photographed this angel in my early years of photography when film was the norm, and my digital cameras were far off on the horizon.
She stands just about my height. Head tilted down, chin resting on her right hand. Eyes closed. Every time I look, I see such human qualities. Thoughtfulness. Sadness. At any moment I expect the wings to unfurl and take her up to the heavens.
This is the photograph that defines me. It is the picture I look back to time and again to find my creative center, my meaning, and purpose as an artist.
I often return to places I've photographed previously to look for any changes and record additional memories.
This photograph on the right was taken several years ago. I’d known for some time that the head was gone. That day I was on a hill opposite the site and saw this from a distance. My heart sank. It took me a while to finally walk up and visit. Seeing the crushed hand the head once rested upon, incredible force must have been used to destroy this beautiful creature. I searched around the area and partway into the woods with no luck. The head must have been broken beyond recognition.
When I was in my teens, vandalism occurred at the cemetery where my father's parents are buried. The head, fingers, and part of a wing were broken off the angel that stands on top of their headstone.
For a long time, the head sat on a closet shelf until my dad found a way to attach it. I still remember opening the closet to find the head staring straight at me. Offputting to say the least.
I don’t know what motivates individuals to such depths that they willfully damage not only personal property but beautiful art.
It is said that karma comes back around to those who deserve it. I can only hope the hand of fate reaches down. Perhaps it already has.
Photographs taken by Christine Shephard and all written copy may not be used in any other format or publication without express written permission.
Pictures of the Whitlock and Burt monuments at Oakwood Cemetery reproduced from
Shades of Oakwood.
Recently I've been working on restoring the angel on my grandparents headstone and have
taken it from a statue covered in gritty black and green moss to a clean white. I plan to write about this restoration later this year.
#cemetery #cemeteries #cemetery photography #graveyards #oakwood cemetery #st. agnes cemetery #angels
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