She’s not sure how many she’s toured by herself, but Tammy Gross does photograph the most ornate grave markers she comes across.
The Bridgeport resident, who created and operates the Whispered Tales of the Ohio Valley page on Facebook, frequents local cemeteries like Greenwood and Mount Calvary in Wheeling and Walnut Grove and Riverview in East Ohio primarily because of her curious nature but also because of the region’s rich history.
“I visit some of them for the art from statuary, engravings on the stones, and the architectural beauty of mausoleums. I love photographing this beauty,” Gross explained. “Others are because of history or a story associated with the cemetery or a particular grave. The epitaphs are very interesting.
“Plus, I also enjoy the peace I experience in them although some do make me feel sad or uneasy,” she said. “As I walk through them, I often ponder about those who are laid to rest, wondering who they were and what kind of lives they lived.”
Many of the cemeteries in the Wheeling area possess final resting places for former residents born in the early 1800s, and many older burial grounds are no longer maintained, including the old county farm graveyard at Roney’s Point in Ohio County.
“There are so many small, old cemeteries that are inactive, and yes they are in disrepair mainly because there isn’t enough funding to care for them. They’re so old that loved ones are simply gone, and there’s no one to tend to them,” Gross explained. “Many of our local cemeteries have sections that are in disrepair. They’re usually the old sections of the graves, and after they die, their families have moved away, and ancestors aren’t likely to care much or even know of these graves.
“The biggest problem I’ve seen in the past is high grass and weeds, but I don’t know if it’s a funding problem or they’re unable to find people to do the job. I do know volunteers have helped care for many of the local cemeteries in the past,” she continued. “A good example is Mt. Wood and Mt. Zion in Wheeling. Unfortunately, though, the cost for the repairs needed is just impossible, and vandalism is another problem in many cemeteries. I’ll never understand how someone can do such a thing.”
History Lessons
Tombstones, Gross insisted, tell stories. Although the markers have evolved through the years, most still include epitaphs that often disclose unique information about the deceased.
“There is so much history that’s told to me when I walk through a cemetery,” she said. “As a cemetery photographer, I’ve found stories simply by posting a photo of a grave or monument.”
She speaks from experience because those photos have received a lot of attention once posted on social media platforms.
“One, in particular, is Tallman’s mausoleum in Greenwood Cemetery. Beside the mausoleum was a curly maple tree with many burls. Such an interesting, odd tree. I learned that the tree was brought here from overseas and was planted in honor of Tallman’s daughter who fell ill and passed away” Gross said. “The Maxwell castle monument in Greenwood is missing a capstone above the doorway. The missing capstone is found on James and Ruth Maxwell’s son’s headstone. He was their only son and drowned at the age of 15. I love the symbolism.
“Another is quite the tall tale but is actually true or has some truths to it. Little Ikie died at the age of 7 in 1904 from eating bad ice milk. His distraught mother filled his mausoleum with toys, books, and a rocker,” she revealed. “She would rock Ikie and even clean his mausoleum. It is said she would hang his body in a tree while she cleaned. The mausoleum was severely damaged in 1979, and he was reburied in the ground in Mt. Welcome Cemetery in Pleasants County in West Virginia. There are so many more than those stories.”
In Memorial
Most markers in cemeteries are humble, but some can be classified as extravagant because of their size and/or distinctive design. Some are upright and large while others appear as statues of the individuals laid to rest beneath it.
There are benches, flower beds, sculpted babies, wings, and hearts, and also tombstones that mark where a couple was interred long ago.
While Gross has concentrated her trip to the Upper Ohio Valley, she also has ventured many miles to examine cemeteries in other areas.
“So far, I would have to say the most interesting one I’ve walked through is Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. It’s filled with amazing statuary, mausoleums, and some famous people. It’s really not unlike a museum of art and history,” she said. “Locally I would have to say Greenwood for those same reasons, but it’s more personal than that because I recognize the names on massive monuments of our local founding fathers. I have seen names of the towns and businesses of the people they’re named after.
“I think a lot of people that aren’t local are surprised with the amazing monuments Wheeling has in their cemeteries, but they usually are people who don’t understand that Wheeling was a bustling city once upon a time and pretty much neck-to-neck with Pittsburgh. I also have to say there’s something really touching and tranquil about those little, old, country cemeteries that are surrounded by nature.”
