Masonic Gravestones

 

Masonic gravestones commemorate a life proudly well lived under the Creator's hand.

These cemetery headstones can be found throughout the world.

These old Masonic granite headstones with their Masonic symbol and emblem inscriptions are in the Barnard Masonic Cemetery in Barnard, Missouri.

 

Barnard Masonic Cemetery Sign

 Barnard Masonic Cemetery

 

Valentine Korell Odd Fellows gravestone

Odd Fellows Obelisk Stone of:
Captain Valentine Korell
Died Apr. 22, 1887
57 Y, 1 M, 11 D

Vertical headstones like this one are called obelisks, an Egyptian art style which has been used for thousands of years.  Below is a close-up of the above stone.  The black around the lettering is from environmental damage which is slowly eroding the words and symbols.

Valentine Korell Masonic gravestone closeup

  Notice that there is no "G" inside the square and compasses.

 

Conlin Masonic gravestone

Samuel H. Conlin
1855 to 1924

 

Masonic Brother Francis M Blagg grave marker

Francis M. Blagg
Born May 26, 1845
Died Dec. 1, 1901

 

Shrine Masonic headstone

John Paul
1886 to 1947
With Shrine Emblem
 

Shrine headstone

Closeup Of Shrine Emblem

 

Masonic gravestone handshake



This Odd Fellows obelisk gravestone which is over 100 years old, stands approximately 8 feet tall.  Many Odd Fellows' symbols, such as the hand clasp are similar to Freemasonry's symbols. 

See Close-up, below.

Masonic gravestone -Valentines Korell

Valentine F.S.
Son of M. & E. Korell
Born Feb. 5, 1862
Died Dec. 18, 1886

This stone has 3 chain links symbolizing the eternal cable tow between brothers in which is chiseled into this elaborate grave marker.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization with similar symbols to Freemasonry's, use the 3 chain links as one of their symbols. The 3 links stand for Friendship, Love and Truth, (F.L.T.). This stone marks the grave of a member of the Odd Fellows.

Due to the similarities in symbolism between Freemasons and Oddfellows, sometimes it is difficult to clearly distinguish between these stones.

 

Many old Masonic gravestones were made with limestone or other stones that are "softer" (more porous) than marble or granite. 

Due to ongoing environmental damage, the lettering on these old limestone Masonic grave markers of these past brothers is wearing away and will one day become unreadable. 

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Gravestone Symbol at Ocean St Dominion
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia 
Can anyone tell me what this symbol is about? It's on a grave stone from one of my family members.

Charles H. Bardenwerpers Headstone 
Above is a photo of my great-grandfather Charles H. Bardenwerper's headstone. I can identify three of the symbols. However, the Ram (?), the Sun and …

Old Masonic Gravestone 
My Great-great-great grandfather's headstone in Wrightsboro Cemetery Wrightsboro, TX. Not sure if you can tell me anything about the marker or the local …

FNDOZBTKC-AMRY 
This Masonic FNDOZBTKC-AMRY image appears on my G-G-Grandmother's headstone located in Wesley Chapel Cemetery in Bluffdale, Texas. Simon's Reply: …

New Cathedral Cemetary, Philadelphia 
This is the tombstone for an ancestor of mine. The symbol looks similar to the Masonry symbol but I can not confirm this. Can someone help me? As far as …

Sarcoxie Cemetary Sarcoxie, MO, USA Not rated yet
This stone belongs to my Great, Great Uncle.

Arthur C Berry Gravestone in Nankin, Ohio Cemetery Not rated yet
My father's stone in Nankin, Ohio. His name was Arthur C. Berry.

Masonic Gravestone Symbol - Sykes Cemetery
Chesapeake, VA USA Not rated yet
M.K. SYKES MUST HAVE BEEN A FREEMASON

Masonic Headstone at Hart Cemetery, Chesterfield, MI, USA Not rated yet
I volunteered to take the photo...He was the no. 2, signer on the Charter, and the listed as the no.2 Mason from a charted Lodge in ND, so he has quite …

Elisha Clark Masonic Gravestone  Not rated yet
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Harwich Port, MA, USA This is the gravestone of my great-great-grandfather. I didn't know he was a Mason until I stumbled upon …

Masonic Cemetery in Eureka, California Not rated yet
I was dropping my wife off at work this morning and across the street was a cemetery where I noticed long upright headstones, much like the monument in …



Related Pages:

Masonic Symbols

Freemason Symbols

 

 

 




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