Comments on: In the Archives: Highland Cemetery Tour

By: Laura Bien

Laura Bien — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:20:16 +0000

Christopher: Your comment just made my day. Next time you’re in Ypsi, I’d be glad to take you on a tour of Highland myself to point out all the beautiful stuff to be seen there. Thank you!

By: Christopher

Christopher — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:46:33 +0000

This is exactly the kind of information I’ve wanted to know about when walking around old cemeteries. Fantastic job. I’d love to see lots more of it, including how to “read” an old building for symbolism and/or practicalities that shaped the final form and details. Laura Bien’s articles are a destination for me.

By: Laura Bien

Laura Bien — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:33:10 +0000

cmadler: That is fascinating. I had heard the Evangelists info, but I had no idea about Phi Mu or the secret society. Thank you for the information!

By: cmadler

cmadler — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:10:11 +0000

Also, the hand is in a quatrefoil window, which can have several meanings. It is a symbol of the women’s fraternity Phi Mu, a symbol of the Bishop James Madison Society (a secret society at the College of William and Mary), and can symbolize four major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel) or more commonly the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). If I’m reading the gravestone correctly, Mr. Vanderbelt was born in 1790, which makes the first two possibilities unlikely, so I’d guess that it symbolizes the Evangelists here.

By: cmadler

cmadler — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:11:22 +0000

The hand is pointing upward, indicating ascension to heaven and confirmation of life after death.