Symbolism and Iconography

From cave painting to contemporary art, people have used symbols to convey information, emotions, and their thoughts. Perhaps nowhere is the use of symbolism more concentrated than in cemeteries.

Headstones or monuments themselves tell much about the deceased. An enormous monument, for instance, often indicates a wealthy family or a famous person who was honored by the community. Examples at Oak Ridge Cemetery include the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site and Gov. John Tanner’s stone mausoleum.

Inscriptions and carvings on headstones also illuminate the lives of those buried beneath them, along with the emotions of those they left behind. An inscription with fingers pointing upward or depicting angels indicates the decedent will reach heaven. Weeping trees and lambs symbolize sorrow, especially on a child’s gravestone. Very ornate carvings and sculpture may embody beauty or love. Some inscriptions give clues to the deceased’s profession or hobby.

Cemetery symbolism and iconography have changed over the years. As you visit Oak Ridge Cemetery, where interments began in 1858, we invite you to consider the wide variety of iconography evident within the cemetery.

Three Celtic Crosses

These headstones are in the form of traditional Celtic crosses with decorative Celtic knots on their faces. The cross form represents Christianity, and the inside represents eternity. Celtic crosses, originally used in churches and public places, are symbols of a Christian faith originating in the early Middle Ages in Ireland, France, and Great Britain. Their use as grave markers began in the mid-1850s.

This monument represents the lifetime work of Col. James S. Culver (1852-1911), who headed The Culver Marble and Stone Co. Culver Marble and its offshoot companies built many prominent structures in Springfield, including the Oak Ridge Cemetery Office and Bell Tower. Culver Marble also reconstructed the Lincoln Tomb in 1899. More than 3,000 structures throughout the country are credited to Culver Stone. Like the tombstone shown here, many Culver buildings display the company’s distinctive rough-cut stone.

Lambs are typically used to mark graves of children and very often of babies. In Christian art through the ages, a lamb often represents Christ, sometimes referred to as the Lamb of God.

Here is a group of stones representing not a husband and wife, but a brother and sister. The large monument has two pillars that are tied together by the arched stone cap. One of the carved stone chairs flanking the monument has a hat hung on the back; on the other, a cloth, probably a lap blanket, is draped over the side.

This is a tree stone. The central “trunk” closely resembles a real tree trunk with coarse bark, smooth areas where the bark is stripped away, and the base where vegetation is growing up from the ground. The broken tree symbolizes death. Tree stones were popular during the Victorian rustic movement, generally from the 1880s to 1905. They were even sold by Sears, Roebuck & Co.

The Modern Woodmen of the World, a fraternal organization that also sold insurance to its members, had this monument built to mark the grave of William Northcott, who headed the Modern Woodmen for 13 years. (Northcott also served a term as Illinois lieutenant governor.) The inscription reads, “He was as friendly as a wayside well.”

This modern marker has a rough-cut base and stone, while the family name is engraved in a way that suggests the letters were formed by cut tree branches. Perhaps this marker was selected in deference to the rustic style of the Victorian Era.