Granite Hardscape Honors Veterans

Earlier this year, the Atlanta History Center dedicated its newly expanded Veterans Park. Organizers scattered soil that came from battlefields around the world. Eagle Granite was commissioned to create 6 large granite seals to be installed in the new park, including one to house the time capsule protecting this very special soil.

The soil was gathered from every American battlefield, from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan. They also included sands from Iwo Jima, desert sand from Iraq, battlefields from the South Pacific, and even small pieces of the Berlin Wall. Soil was also gathered from battlefield sites of the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan. They also included soil from Arlington National Cemetery.

One third of the soil is buried in a stainless steel capsule under an 8 foot round granite seal of the United States. Another third was scattered during the Memorial Day ceremony, and the rest will be kept at the History Center. The granite seal of the United States is 4 inches thick and was carved and lettered at the Eagle Granite manufacturing plant in Elberton.

There are also five more granite seals that measure 6 feet in diameter. They are also 4 inches thick and were manufactured along with the 8 ft. US Medallion at Eagle Granite. These 5 medallions represent the five service branches, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard and are embedded throughout the park’s concrete walkways. All 6 granite civic memorial emblems were manufactured from Blue Ridge Granite, provided by Eagle Granite’s quarry located in Northeast Georgia.

A Brief History of the Cross

The cross has been used by many religions, but most notably in Christianity. It is a representation of the division of the world into four elements (also called cardinal points) or the union of the concepts of divinity (the vertical line) and the world (the horizontal line). The word derives from the Latin word "crux" a Roman torture device used for crucifixion. The word was introduced to the English in the 10th century - in the execution of Jesus.

It is not known when the first cross image was made. Many cross-shaped cave drawings have been discovered, dating back to the earliest times of human development. Their use can be traced throughout Celtic and Germanic cultures in Europe. Celtic coins minted many centuries before the Christian era had an entire side showing the cross symbol, sometimes with the cardinal points marked by concave depressions. Other coins depicted the cross with a fern leaf, held by a rider on a horse, often referred to as a Tree of Life symbol.

During the first two centuries of Christianity, the cross was rarely seen, as it depicted a gruesome method of public execution. A symbol similar to the cross, the staurogram, was used to abbreviate the Greek word for cross in very early New Testament manuscripts. The extensive adoption of the cross as Christian iconographic symbol began to arise again towards the 4th century. Interestingly enough, the symbol of the crucifix, a cross upon which an image of Christ is present, is not known to have been used until the 6th century AD.

In contemporary Christianity, the cross is a symbol of the atonement and reminds Christians of God's love in sacrificing his own son for humanity. It represents Jesus' victory over sin and death, since it is believed that through his death and resurrection he conquered death itself. Throughout the centuries, other symbolic carvings and patterns have been added as embellishments to the cross itself.

What to Ask for When Designing Your Memorial

Flat Carving is also called sandblasting. No carving or shaping is done to add further detail to the artwork. The outline and some features are cut directly into the surface to reveal the design as flat or one dimensional.

Shape Carving also starts out with sandblasting. The outline of the design is cut into the surface and the interior elements are further shaped by hollowing out certain areas to create a relief look to the design. Shape carving is generally used for flowers and the leaves of plants and trees as well as the hands and wings of angels and saints to add even more detail to the design.

Sculpting or Hand Carving into the surface of the stone is called Bas Relief. Done by a sculptor, the shape of the image can be touched and the depth can be felt. An image can be sculpted within a recessed area "niche" or sculpted out of the whole stone to provide a 3-dimensional "full round" design. The distinction between high and low relief is somewhat subjective, and the two are very often combined in a single work.

A bas-relief or "low relief" is a projecting image with a shallow overall depth, for example used on coins, on which all images are in low relief. It is a technique which requires less work, and is therefore cheaper to produce, as less of the background needs to be removed in a carving.

 These can also be used in combination with each other, depending upon the overall design of the monument. Contact a monument manufacturer for more information on any of these options and for professional help in designing your memorial.

Funerary Design Components

Wondering what to put on your monument?

 

In most cases you will have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death sandblasted or etched on the monument, along with a personal message or prayer. You may also consider adding pieces of funerary art, to add even more personalization to the granite. Many people also like to inset a photograph of the deceased in a brass or bronze frame.

Monuments usually sit as "uprights" with heart-shaped, rounded, gabled, square or other shaped tops. Decorating with memento mori (symbolic reminders of death) such as skulls or winged skulls, winged cherub heads, and heavenly crowns began sometime in the 18th century. Throughout the years, more elaborate allegorical figures were added, such as Old Father Time, or emblems of trade or status, or even important life events of the deceased, including how they may have passed.

Sandblasted and etched components (also called "emblems") are often used on upright and flat monuments in today's cemeteries. These emblems indicate recurring themes in both faith and life.

Here are a few Examples:

Anchor - Steadfast hope Angel of grief - Sorrow Arch - Rejoined with partner in Heaven Birds - The soul Book - Faith, wisdom Cherub - Divine wisdom or justice Column - Noble life Cross, anchor and Bible - Trials, victory and reward Crown - Reward and glory Dove - Purity, love and Holy Spirit Hands - A relation or partnership Heart - Devotion

Hourglass - Time and its swift flight Ivy - Faithfulness, memory, and undying friendship Lamb - Innocence Lamp - Immortality Laurel - Victory, fame Lily - Purity and resurrection Oak - Strength Olive branch - Forgiveness, and peace Palms - Martyrdom, or victory over death Peacock - Eternal life Pillow - a deathbed, eternal sleep

 

Greek letters and abbreviations may also be used:

• (alpha and omega) - The beginning and the end
• (chi rho) - The first letters spelling the name of Christ
• IHS - Stylized version of iota-eta-sigma, a Greek abbreviation of Jesus

For more information, please contact our marketing department to access our entire 204 page Component Catalog. crussell@eaglegranite.com

Flat Grass Markers and Grave Stones

Originally, a tombstone was the stone lid of a stone coffin, or the coffin itself, and a gravestone was the stone slab that was laid over a grave. Now all three terms are used for markers placed at the head of the grave. Some graves also contain footstones to mark the end of the grave. Sometimes full sections of granite coping are coordinated with the marker to outline the entire perimeter of the grave or family plot. If footstones are used, they are rarely inscribed with more than the deceased's initials and year of death, or sometimes they reference the cemetery plot number. In some UK cemeteries, the only grave marker is placed at the foot of the grave.

A cemetery may follow national codes of practice or independently prescribe the size and use of certain materials, especially in a conservation area. Others may require stones of a certain shape or position to facilitate grass-cutting by mower. Granite, marble and other kinds of stone are usually created, installed, and repaired by monumental masons. Cemeteries suggest regular inspections and maintenance, as stones may settle and become uneven or may simply become overgrown and lost or vandalized.

The information on the marker generally includes the name of the deceased and their date of birth and death. Such information can be useful to genealogists and local historians and future generations of family. Larger cemeteries may require a discreet reference code as well to help accurately fix the location for maintenance.

Many different designs and granite colors are available for grass markers. Vases, ceramic portraits, bronze embellishments, laser etching and colored litho can be used depending on the final design. They are available in various thicknesses and with multiple finishing options. Families can also purchase special cremation containers and bury the cremains under the marker itself-making these a great choice for burial or cremation.

Mausoleum Choices for Families

Community mausoleums, commonly found in cemeteries throughout the US, are large buildings designed to provide above-ground entombment. Sharing the cost of the mausoleum with other people makes it more cost-effective than private mausoleums for many families. Other families choose a more private, though more expensive, mausoleum constructed or delivered to their family estate plot in the cemetery. They house one or more "crypts" which are designed to hold casketed remains. Following a casket entombment, the crypt is sealed, and a granite or marble front "door" is attached. The door is usually engraved or sandblasted with personal or religious components, as well as the family name, names of the deceased and birth and death dates.

Mausoleums come in several standard sizes and colors. They are available domestically and as imports from overseas. The cost for a mausoleum can go from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending upon the size, materials, statuary and other additions to the construction of the family estate. They can be single sized for only one enternment, side by side or stacked one on top of the other for companion crypts. Families not choosing a walk-in family estate type mausoleum, may ask for several crypts stacked two, three, or even four high in one large family granite mausoleum.

A mausoleum encloses a burial chamber either wholly above ground or within a burial vault below the granite. Modern mausolea may also act as columbaria (a type of mausoleum for cremated remains) with additional niches to hold cremation urns. There really are no limits if you choose to have your mausoleum custom manufactured. Many granite retailers can help you with this process, and often have catalogs of designs ready to ship to the cemetery for those on a tight budget for time.

For more information on mausoleum and family estate designs visit http://www.eaglegranite.com/family estates.html

Cremation Gardens

The first step in your cremation process is going to be to choose the urn that will hold your loved ones ashes. Crematories require that a suitable container be used to contain your loved one after the cremation process. The urn is then placed inside a columbarium or buried in the ground with a marker, cremation monument or pedestal to house and protect the urn itself.

A gathering of friends, family and/or clergy provides a meaningful personalized tribute, as well as support for the living. This is something that can also be ongoing (annually or several times a year) within the cremation garden setting. Close family may wish to come and remember the deceased throughout the year. Sitting areas, benches and landscaping should all be thoughtfully planned out and provide a safe, comfortable and private place to memorialize.

  
There are many options from which to choose when selecting a final resting place for your loved one’s urn, because cremation memorialization can take any number of forms. Many cemeteries have created areas specifically for lasting remembrance. Cremated remains may be permanently memorialized in a columbarium, ground-burial area or specially designed cremation garden.

A cremation garden provides a final resting place for your loved one’s cremated remains. It is a designated area of the cemetery that may vary from a simple urn garden to a more elaborate area featuring elegant landscapes, graceful water designs and stunning granite monuments. The space can provide a beautiful and comforting experience for the ones who are looking for comfort in the wake of their loss.