By KELLY KAZEK
Anyone who follows me on AL.com or on my blog knows how much Sweetums and I love exploring old cemeteries. I love coming across beautiful funerary art and tombstones that tell interesting tales.
But outside of those things, I am fascinated by the cast-iron in historic cemeteries. Cast-iron was used to create intricate grave covers and even tombs. Click here to see a gallery I posted on AL.com of some beautiful iron work. , including the gorgeous example shown here from the Pratt Family Cemetery in Prattville.
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Recently, Sweetums and I were in one of our favorite old cemeteries, Maple Hill in Huntsville, Ala. Founded in 1822, Maple Hill covers more than 100 acres and has more than 80,000 burials, including many of Huntsville’s prominent early citizens. (Sweetums is an expert on the history of this cemetery).
On this trip, I took a few photos of some of the cast-iron fences. One of my favorites is the one with the corn motif. In burial symbolism, corn can either indicate the grave of a farmer or it can be used as a symbol for fertility, or rebirth.
One of the intricate fences we came across has been recently refurbished with black paint. Some of the fences had plain lines but they still had a simple beauty. Take a look at the photos. Hope you enjoy them.
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