a Tombstone Tourist, I love to wander cemeteries, looking for historical,
artistic and cultural finds. Although I’ve seen these rectangular shaped graves for years, I only recently learned that
it is known as a cradle grave.
 |
| Headboard and Footboard |
 |
| Plain Curbing |
On some cradle graves, the top is designed to resemble the headboard of a bed and the bottom looks like
the footboard. Plain or decorative curbing or molding can also be used to outline a
single grave in the shape of a bed; hence these graves are also known as bed graves.
 |
| Cement Cradle Grave |
Cradle
graves began appearing in American cemeteries in early part of the 1800s. This type
of marker became popular during the Civil War, but by the 1920’s, they were
disappearing from the cemetery scene. Although
they can be found throughout the US, cradle graves were more popular in the South and Midwest regions.
 |
| Child’s Cradle Grave |
 |
| Adult Cradle Grave |
Despite
the name, cradle graves were not just for children. Adult graves were also marked
in this manner.
 |
| White Bronze Cradle Grave |
 |
| Leaves and Grass on Cradle Grave |
The
empty space between the curbed sides was usually filled with “blanket plantings”
– flowers, grasses, or bushes that filled up the inside of the cradle grave,
giving it the full and lush appearance of a bedspread, from spring through
fall. In the winter, snow would take on the appearance of a blanket drifting
over the grave.
 |
| Overgrown White Bronze |
 |
| Neglected White Bronze |
Cradle
graves can be found in all types of cemeteries but most are no longer cared for
or maintained. A shame since the choice of such a marker indicates someone had
hopes that the grave would be tended for years to come …
Joy
