Graveyard scavenger hunt!

   On Monday, January 27 my FYE class went on a sort graveyard game of hide and seek to identify different types of headstones. We visited both the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul and St. Patrick Catholic Church graveyards or Churchyards as they are sometimes called.
   Although the outdoor adventure was brisk and a bit spooky I found the history of the assignment very interesting. I have passed by both the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Patrick Catholic Church everyday on my walk to class at the College of Charleston and never batted and eye, in fact I never even realized there was a graveyard located at the Cathedral.
   The Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul is an Anglican Church. Anglicanism began during the English reformation but can be traced back to the early Church. The religion is a blend of Christianity that has traditions in Reformed, Catholic, and Evangelical. The Cathedral itself was founded in 1816 by planters and built by the hands of slaves.
   The land for St. Patrick Catholic Church was bought in 1828 by Bishop John England and on St. Patrick's day 1838 the first cornerstone of the Church was laid. The Church was finished by December. During the Civil war, the Church went bankrupt and a new Reverend, Daniel J. Quigley was appointed in 1884. Quigley's first move was to purchase the land on the Northwest corner of St. Phillip street and Radcliffe Street. The earthquake of August 31, 1886 came shortly after but this did not deter the Reverend and work on the Church was finished 1899. The Reverend, Daniel J. Quigley himself is buried in one of the tombs in front of the Church! In 1967 Immaculate conception and St. Peter's Churches were closed. These parish's which served predominantly African Americans conjoined with St. Patricks. Fast forward to 1978 and Reverend Egbert Figaro became the first black priest to serve in the Charleston area.
   Below I have attached some pictures of the graves I saw in the graveyards our class visited.

A mausoleum at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul graveyard.
This gravesite had no names, plaques, or birth/death dates. The mausoleum is done in greek style architecture and has two statues on either corner of the roof. It is hard to tell what these statues might mean as they are not a common grave symbol. 

A sarcophagus at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul graveyard.
This tomb is particularly interesting because it is the only sarcophagus in the Cathedral Church's graveyard. The tomb itself is very unique because it has claw feet. The feet could be lions feet. The lion is a symbol of the power of God or a guardian of the tomb for watchfulness and strength. The tomb is also very small which could suggest that a child is buried there. There is no writing on the tomb so I could not tell the name of who was buried there or the timeline of their life. However, on the top of the tomb is a very simple cross which is a symbol of Christianity. 

A die on base grave marker at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul graveyard.
Noellee Dawson is buried here. She was born on December 25th, 1884 and died on January 5th, 1954. This grave marker included two flowers and stems to accompany. The flower engravings are very abstract and artistic so it is hard to specify the type of flower, however I believe that they could be morning glory flowers which symbolize mourning, mortality, and a farewell. I thought that this was the coolest grave we saw but my reasoning is slightly biased. I liked this grave because the name of the deceased was Noellee which is just one letter off from my name, Noelle!

An obelisk grave marker in the graveyard of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul.
Unfortunately, the photo cuts off the top of this grave, however it is a very simple and traditional example of an obelisk with a pointed triangle top. Philip Porcher and  Catherine Cordes are buried here. There is no birth date, death date, or epitaph. However, interestingly enough the grave marker states that the deceased were members of St. Stephen's parish which is the parish that would later join with St. Patrick Catholic Church, which our class also visited. 

A pedestal tomb urn at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul graveyard.
This grave is imprinted with a shield outline around the epitaph but is not a family crest. This is unique because it is often seen on government issue civil war type graves. Martha Lavinia is buried here. Her epitaph reads "Sacred - to the memory of Martha Lavinia - consort of John H. Tucker. Born August 1838.. (illegible)" I was able to make out another date of 1867 which I am assuming is her death date. The grave marker also includes a draped urn which is meant to symbolize immortality. The cloth is seen to guard the ashes.

A ledger grave marker at the St. Patrick Catholic Church.
This is the marker of the remains of Lyn Tilan (last name may be an incorrect interpretation) and Andrew (last name illegible). Unfortunately, the photo in the took photo that I took most of the epigraph is unreadable. This grave is unique in that it has a Cross surrounded by a circle which could be a version of a Celtic cross. Circles symbolize eternity and crosses are a symbol of Christianity. The carving at the top of the stone is what appears to be two people kneeling - possibly praying. Above them is another cross and it appears that they are kneeling in front of a table or a tomb. This may be the people buried or those praying for them and the inclusion of another cross definitely means Christianity. 

A die base and cap at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul graveyard.
There are no names, death/birth dates, or epitaph. The Cap of this marker is particularly elaborate with what almost appears to be an urn at the top, however the stone carving is too small. 

A box tomb at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul graveyard.
This box tomb is very simple and includes on engravings, names, death/birth dates, or epitaph. 

A broken column grave marker at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul graveyard.
I really wanted to include this grave marker, however, due to my poor photography skills it is very hard to make out what is written on the base. The reason I wanted to include this grave marker is because it is a unique example of a broken column which is a symbol of a life cut short meaning someone died at a young age or in the prime of their life.

A very small and square headstone in the graveyard the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul.
This grave could have possibly been a die on base that sunk into the ground, however there is no base present currently.
Mary Taylor who was born on May 3rd, 1841 is buried here. She died on April 10th, 1929. This is a very impressive lifespan especially for the time period that she was born in.