The Silent Guardians: Cemeteries of Baltimore City
In East Baltimore an angel stands guard over the souls who rest under her gaze. Across town, a pair of children who died over a hundred years ago stand together forever. Toys and flowers mark their spot as well as gifts from unknown, but contemporary visitors.
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- Grave markers and monuments in various forms sit on a hill on the westside of the city. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- In contrast to more ornate markers, rows of simple crosses are placed on the graves of nuns in New Cathedral Cemetery on the west side of Baltimore. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A bronze angel holding a lilly gazes heavenward. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- Contrails intersect over a large cross in a cemetery on the east side of the city. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- The figure of a boy cloaked in a lion skin modeled on a sculpture by German artist Emile Wolff, a reference to the first labor of Hercules. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- The figure of a boy cloaked in a lion skin modeled on a sculpture by German artist Emile Wolff, a reference to the first labor of Hercules. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- Carved angels, with their wings and flowing robes are striking figures. On the base of this statue is “IHS,” a monogram of the name of Jesus Christ. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A heavily decorated memorial to two young children is a visible sign that their grave is still visited. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A bas-relief sculpture of William R. Creery a superintendent of Baltimore Schools who served in that position until his death in 1875. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- A variety of female figures look out over the landscape. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
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- The figure of an angel gazes beyond the city from a high perch on the east side of Baltimore. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)
John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States named Baltimore “The Monumental City” during a visit in 1827. Numerous landmarks along public streets tell the story of the city and the people who helped shape it.
But, behind walls and gates there are many more tributes to individuals whose histories may not be as well known. Simple and embellished grave markers found in cemeteries speak to love, loss and memory. The monuments of stone and metal may entice a visitor to linger in a place designed for sleep.
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Nick Jones
Jan 27, 2013 @ 01:21:46
This post is somewhat sparse, given the copious amount of peculiar statuary in Baltimore’s graveyards. I have at least fivescore images in my own gallery from places like Greenmount, Druid Ridge, Baltimore Hebrew, etcetera.