Mc Broom Cemetery-what do you think?
In all the years of investigating cemeteries, I have not ever ran across one like this. It had several grave markers that were shaped like coffins. Some little, some big, facing all different directions. The earliest settlers had their feet pointing toward the east and the head of the coffin toward the west, ready to rise up and face the "new day" (the sun) when "the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised" or when Christ would appear and they would be reborn. So, I really don't understand the way these people were laid to rest. hhuummm I really feel the coffin markers are the actual size of the casket and the body inside...that was laid to rest beneath them because the baby's were very small and the adults larger.
So, I need your help. I went to visit my brother in Arkansas this past weekend and we did a little ghost hunting around where he lives in Kingston, Arkansas. We came across the Mc Broom Cemetery that sits up on a hill all by itself.
In all the years of investigating cemeteries, I have not ever ran across one like this. It had several grave markers that were shaped like coffins. Some little, some big, facing all different directions. The earliest settlers had their feet pointing toward the east and the head of the coffin toward the west, ready to rise up and face the "new day" (the sun) when "the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised" or when Christ would appear and they would be reborn. So, I really don't understand the way these people were laid to rest. hhuummm I really feel the coffin markers are the actual size of the casket and the body inside...that was laid to rest beneath them because the baby's were very small and the adults larger.
I am very curious about these "coffin" shaped tombstones. The best I can find out is that back in the 1700's the stone coffin marker was set on top of the actual casket. I wish I could read the dates on the tombstones, but they had all eroded over time. I just think it is odd that I have been in some really old cemeteries and NONE of them had these kind of tombstones.
If you know anything about these coffin shaped tombstones I would LOVE to know about them. I posted several pics of this really "cool" cemetery.
So, what do you think? Aren't these really "creepy"? You should see them at night! lol
8 comments:
Hi Beck,
I am curious to know if any of the tombstones are readable. I am doing a study of the surname McBROOM and have pretty much every one who ever existed up to around 1900 and it would be very nice if I could tie in their tombstone with their history.
I live in Scotland in the United Kingdom, so not exactly handy to pop along and look for myself. They are an interesting lot with some heroes, villains, millionaires, slave traders and more.
I have around 8 or 9 McBROOM Cemeteries in my database, but not being from the US may have the addresses confused e.g. I have the cemetery you are referring to as McBroom Cemetery,South of Huntsville, Madison County, Arkansas. Google maps has it as McBroom Cemetery, Bowen, Arkansas and you have it as McBroom Cemetery, Kingston, Arkansas. Are they all correct, perhaps for different decades or centuries?
Leslie Williamson
Bonnie Scotland
Hi Leslie and Bonnie. It could be Bowen, Arkansas. My brother lives in Kingston, Ark and it was a little ways from his house. To me, in that area there are lots of slave graves that took the name of the "owners" meaning back in the day...the family that had a slave, when they died they would bury them under the family name. And then again, some graves are just marked "slave" or "unknown". If you will give me a day or two I will go back through my pics and see if I can pull a name off one of the tombs for you to research. Let me see what I can come up with for you.
LOL. Sorry Leslie, I just realized that Bonnie Scotland is probably a place not a person. lol My mistake. :)
Hi Becky, I was just going through your posts and saw the article on the headstones at Kingston Arkansas. Since I live in Arkansas I wanted to let you know about a Facebook page "Arkansas Tombstones"....someone on that page should be able to help you. It's a really neat page!
Oh thank you! I will definitely check it out. And thanks for checking out my blog:)
Hi, as i lived in the area and am a McBroom i will tell you my theory of the haphazared burials and the coffin shaped headstones. it is on a hill - not exactly a 'bald knob' but rocky and almost soilless as the area is prone to in the Ozarks. it is hard to dig even a few inches let alone to dig 6 feet into boulders and rocks, so i assume that they burried where they could digging into creavices and between boulders. as for the headstones- there isn't much dirt and that would keep animals from redigging the bodies up. it would interesting to do an x-ray of the area to see the underground. i saw those as an adult ( my McBroom family is burried in Huntsville - just down the road a bit) and the names on many were readalbe- i don't remember the dates- i think i have photos somewhere. i should dig those out someday :)
oops forgot to mark email followup comments :)
Momanita.
What a great explanation! That would make sense. Although the other cemeteries in the area seem to have the more "traditional" headstones that just sit above ground. And heck, yes. You should pull out your old pictures and share them with us!
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