EVENT: Gravestone Symbols TONIGHT!

From Yarmouth's local publication "The Notes" August 8, 2006, edition:

Historical Society Program Discusses Gravestone Symbols, Attitudes & Art

New England's burying grounds are often called outdoor museums -- full of history, art, religious beliefs, genealogy, sometimes tragedy, scandal and even humor. To learn about the fascinating evolution of gravestones and cemeteries, attend the Yarmouth Historical Society presentation of gravestone scholar and author Laurel Gabel in a talk entitled "Understanding New England Gravestones and the Stories They Tell, 1650-2005." This program will take place on Monday, August 21, at 7:30pm in the Cousins Island Community House, Cousins Street. It is free and open to the public.

The program will discuss the symbolism and special language of gravestones and the attitudes about death and memorialization that these historic artifacts reflect. With a focus on early New England gravemarkers and their carvers, the Rural Cemetery Movement, fraternal and heraldic symbolism, the historica and modern use of photography in mourning and memorialization, the well-illustrated program promises to be informative as well as entertaining.

Ms. Gabel is a scholar in the field of cemetery and gravestones studies, a popular lecturer, author of numerous essays and articles, and co-author (with Theodore Chase) of Gravestone Chronicles I and II, two books about early New England gravestones and the men who carved them.

For more information, call 846-6259 or e-mail yarmouth-history(AT)inetmail.att.net

Sounds like a great evening, too bad I didn't know about it sooner! I wonder if they'll be taping it?