Bethel United Methodist Grave Symbols!

https://prezi.com/p/2buvyamsh6zq/

Going "Beyond the Grave" with George E. Dickinson

"Like the cleaning lady, we all come to dust” (Peter De Vires).

I got this quote from Dr. Dickinson’s worksheet he handed out to our class last monday. I found this quote he included to be blunt and funny. Dr. George E. Dickinson is a sociology Professor at the College of Charleston. He came to our FYE class to talk about “The American Way of Death”. He is filled with interesting stories and explanations about how Americans cope and fear death that i’d like to share in this blog post.

Dickinson states that Americans more so than other nations are uneasy with the thought of dying. He also says we like to use euphemisms instead of bluntly saying he or she died. Some euphemisms he mentions are:

“We don’t die in America, we go to sleep”

“Passed away”

“Fell”

“Went to heaven”

“Rest in peace (RIP)”

Along with euphemisms Dickinson says that we like to avoid death conversations by making jokes. He says that we “joke about sex like we joke about death”. People are afraid of the unknown and losing things in life that we love such as family, friends or as Dickinson said “cheesecake”. We are also afraid of losing self control/independence because when we are dying we are bedridden, and revert back to helplessness. Almost like a giant wrinkly baby in that we cannot do anything without help. For example we can’t even use the bathroom without assistance and sometimes need to wear adult diapers.

Dr. George Dickinson and professor Patrick Harwood

⇨ Some more facts and interesting things I learned:

❖ 1960s: First human heart transplant. Used heart from a pig the patient did not live more than 2 days. Dickinson says that “it’s crazy to think that heart transplants are now an everyday occurrence. He also says that “maybe someday we can replace the human brain”. Some things that were once thought to be impossible were made possible by the use of technologies and learning from past failures… So who knows maybe brain transplants aren't such an abstract idea.

❖ The word “cemetery” is a Greek word. It means “put to sleep”. Another euphemism that goes along with this is “rest in peace”.

❖ Middle aged people have highest death anxiety. Dr. Dickinson says middle aged people are in the “Buffer Zone” because you’re not young and irresponsible but you're not old and accepting that you're going to die. He gives an analogy that “it's like standing in the middle of the line at the movie theater and how we move up in line as soon as the person in front moves.” Like moving closer and closer to death, or to get your ticket at the movies in his example.

❖ Rumor has it that Walt Disney is frozen?? Some people choose to be cryopreserved, which according to Wikipedia is an attempt to preserve enough brain information to permit future revival of the dead person. Cryonics uses temperatures below 130 C. Dickinson says this process is crazy expensive and finds it to be a waste of money that he could be spending on other things while he's alive, like traveling.

❖ 80% now die in an institutional setting, away from home. The Ideal death for most Americans is at home in bed and while you're asleep. This is also how I would like to die so that it’s painless.

⇨ Four Awareness Contexts of Dying (Glaser and Strauss)

❏ Closed Awareness- When you scoot around the topic and pretend that nothing is wrong.

❑ Suspicion Awareness- suspects but is uncertain that the illness is fatal.

❑ Mutual Awareness- Patient, staff, and family members know that the illness is terminal but do not discuss it openly.

❏ Open Awareness- When the patient is made comfortable and everyone knows that he/she is going to die. Sometimes the patient is taken care of by a hospice who is there to make them feel comfortable in their final days. 

⇨ Three places for "final disposition of dead human remains"

❍ Earth burial, can be very expensive, averages around $10,000.

❍ Cremation, which is becoming more and more common, it's cheaper on average at $2,000- Dickinson said that in 1975 10% of Americans were cremated. Today it's jumped to 42% and by the year 2020 50% is expected. England is up to 90 percent.

❍ Donate body to science, he said that sometimes people have to pay for the body to be transported which I found shocking.

Trip to the One and Only Magnolia Cemetery!

Last Monday I visited the one and only Magnolia Cemetery with my FYE classmates. My overall impressions of the historic cemetery were all positive. I enjoyed learning and hearing stories about some of the people buried there. We also got to walk the paths and actually go into some of the mausoleums which was a very unique experience.  I found Magnolia to be chillingly beautiful and different from any cemeteries I visited prior. I'm glad I got to explore/experience it along with my "Beyond the Grave Classmates"!

Pictured is one of the ponds and the bridge that leads
to the other side of the cemetery. 

I enjoyed walking the beautiful grounds that the cemetery sits on. Magnolia has a prime location, with views of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, and the Cooper River. According to magnoliacemetery.net the cemetery first opened in 1850, and sits on what used to be a rice plantation. In the past people would come to the cemetery for picnics, play, and to visit lost loved ones. I can see why people would picnic there and enjoy the grounds and its many offerings like ponds, old oak trees and lots of green space perfect for picnicking. Magnolia's many paths make it easy to walk around and observe the graves of the 35,000 people buried there. 

Pictured above is one of the many beautiful old oak trees at Magnolia Cemetery. I've always found oak trees very beautiful, and I think that they add a lot of character and uniqueness to Magnolia Cemetery.

William Burroughs Smith Pyramid (1894)

The William B. Smith Pyramid is one of my favorite monuments that I saw at Magnolia. It's one of my favorites because of it's large size and unique pyramid shape that immediately drew my eyes to it. This monument is featured in Patrick Harwood's book, "In the Arms of Angles". The book says that William B. Smith was a weathy merchant, banker, investor, and financier. He became a successful cotton merchant who went on to have a long carrier at the Union Bank in Charleston. His estimated wealth was $2 million, which would be about 20 million in today's dollar. The pyramid was an idea his 3 daughters come up with, they chose to memorialize him in a style of Egyptian Revival funerary architecture. One of a few dozen massive mausoleum's found in America. Was designed by Francias D. Lee, an associate of Magnolia Cemetery designer Edward C. Jones. 

Inside of the William Burroughs Smith Pyramid

When you peak through the entrance of the monument you can see Tiffany-styled stained glass. I found this beautiful and had to take a picture of the light shining through the colorful glass. I find it amazing that after more than a hundred years the glass is still vibrant in color. Engraved in the glass you can see multiple flowers and ivy leaves. The flowers symbolize the frailty of life and the leaves symbolize memory, immortality, friendship, fidelity, faithfulness, undying affection, eternal life.

Vanderhorst Mausoleum (Circa 1856)

This is another monument that stood out to me, the door in particular is what caught my eye first. Its marble finish and abstract cross design make it hard to miss. This monument is dedicated to the Vanderhorst family. They had a plantation on Kiawah Island in the 1700s. There is actually a street named after them near the College of Charleston's campus. Arnoldus Van Der Horst was a Revolutionary War hero, he also served as Charleston's mayor twice. According to "In the Arms of Angles", the Vanderhorsts likely saw themselves as tycoons and  wanted their wealth to live on through such an iconic monument. The stucco collored columns symbolize mortality and the prominence of the Vanderhorst family. 

Charles Otto Charlotte Sophia Reeves Witte Monument (circa 1890)

When we walked by this monument I remember asking myself what the image on the face of it is. It is still a mystery to me but my best guess is that it's a Native American, because she looks like he's wearing a headdress. But I also think it has some similarities to a goddess because she has wings. The top of the monument is a Celtic Cross which symolizes hope and eternal life.

This monument was designed by the famous Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of Charles Tiffany who founded New York's Tiffany & Co.. Tiffany designed this monument for Charles and Charlotte Witte. Charles was born in Blomberg, Germany into a wealthy family. In 1846 at he age of 22, Charles immigrated  to New York City. Then moved he moved to Charleston in 1847 because of a job opening. In just two years he started his own business. At the age of 43 he met Charlotte(Lottie) who was only 21. After getting married they moved to Europe but after only a year they were back in Charleston where Charles become the president of People's National Bank until 1899. Lottie passed away in 1890 at the young age of 44. Charles lived another 18 years before he passed at age 85 in 1908.

Pictured: Me (Erin Hogan) and Hannah Harvey 

Overall I really enjoyed my first trip to this "Grand Victorian Necropolis". I'm glad I had the opportunity to visit and learn about Magnolia's history and some of the people  buried there. I also enjoyed walking the paths and the beautiful location that magnolia sits on. I would like to revisit Magnolia Cemetery sometime in the future to discover and notice more about the unique monuments.