Rural or “garden” cemeteries such as the Union Campground Cemetery were established in the early 19th century and continue to be used in the United States today. Stone and concrete grave markers, including headstones, footstones, and sometimes side rails or box tombs, are used in such cemeteries, the result of long-held traditions for marking graves that began in the European countries of origin of early immigrants. Headstones remain the most common manner of marking burials in the United States today. The forms, the decorative images, and the content of the epitaphs on headstones have changed over the centuries, but these continue to provide information about how the deceased were memorialized and to reflect their families’ cultural beliefs and practices, wealth, social values, and regional ethnic identities.

While many gravestones at the Union Campground Cemetery may yet be in need of cleaning and other conservation, they have continued to perform their primary function of memorializing and providing basic information about those buried at the cemetery, as well as providing their relatives and descendants a place to remember them.

BEFORE CONSERVATION

AFTER CONSERVATION

The headstone inscription and historic records of Robert L. Piper indicate that he passed away in 1863 at the young age of 12. Featured at the top of his gravestone, beneath a curving vine, is the image of a resting lamb within a recessed circle. Vine motifs on gravestones are symbolic of the Christian church, of Jesus Christ, and of Jesus’s followers, while the lamb motif may correspond to the Christian reference to Jesus as the “Lamb of God.” The lamb is also a well-known representation of innocence, however, and a common motif used to mark the graves of children and infants; Victorian attitudes towards children who died young held that they remained in a state of perpetual innocence. Circles on gravestones represent eternity or resurrection, and the circle framing the lamb on Piper’s headstone may therefore underscore the perpetual nature of his innocent state of being. Researched and conserved by Allison Robbins

BEFORE CONSERVATION

AFTER CONSERVATION

According to historical records and the inscription on his gravestone, James P. Lester died in 1868 at the age of 21. The top of Lester’s headstone features the sculpted image of a flower and leaves on a cut stem, arranged within the recess of a circle. During the nineteenth century, a variety of flowers were depicted on gravestones to convey different meanings. While flowers often symbolized love, the pairing of a flower with a severed or broken stem specifically represents the fragility of life or a life that was cut short. The circle surrounding the flower motif, similar to that on Robert Piper’s headstone, likely represents eternity or perhaps resurrection. Researched and conserved by Allison Robbins

BEFORE CONSERVATION

AFTER CONSERVATION

According to an article in the Springfield, Missouri Republican, Joseph A. Jeffries died at the age of 29 as the result of a gunshot wound. Jeffries’ headstone is in the shape of a pillar, with the top modeled on a pointed-arch, groin-vaulted church. Each side of the gravestone features the incised design of an arrangement of oak leaves with two acorns near the top and a curling vine-like motif near the bottom. Oak leaves are often seen on the gravestones of men and have numerous interpretations, but they are primarily associated with strength, honor, faith, virtue, and endurance; they may also symbolize the power of Christian faith. Acorns, meanwhile, may represent prosperity and fruitfulness or the power of spiritual growth. As with the vine-like design on Robert Piper’s headstone, this motif may symbolize the Christian church, Jesus Christ, or Jesus’s followers. Researched and conserved by Allison Robbins and Megan Kell

BEFORE CONSERVATION

AFTER CONSERVATION

Mary E. Sage died of typhoid fever in 1884 at the young age of three years and one month. Her headstone features a sculpted dove within a recessed frame, which are symbols of peace and eternal life. the stone takes the common shape of a tablet or stele gravestone, which is rectangular with a rounded top; this shape is sometimes also called an oval, arc, or cambered stone, and it is known from ancient times in Europe. Researched and conserved by Megan Kell

BEFORE CONSERVATION

AFTER CONSERVATION

Jane C. Caldwell died in 1866 at the age of 33. Jane’s rectangular headstone is marble, and inscriptions on marble stones often wear and sometimes become difficult to see. The epitaph on Jane’s headstone is still legible, however, and it reads, “I know thou hast gone to the home of thy rest, Then why should my soul be so sad. I know thou hast gone where the weary are blest, and the mourner looks up and is glad.” This epitaph is the first verse of a poem by T. K. Hervey, and it is clearly meant to be a comfort to Jane’s mourning family. Researched and conserved by Amanda Horned

BEFORE CONSERVATION

AFTER CONSERVATION

Laura A. Caldwell died in the year 1863 at the young age of nine years. The epitaph on her rectangular headstone reads, “God gave. He took. He will restore. He doeth all things well.” This epitaph is mostly likely a shortened and paraphrased version of a passage from the book of Job in the Christian Bible. The story of Job is one of suffering, of a man who lost everything he had, but refused to curse his god. Job chapter 1, verse 1 of the King James version reads, “…Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Meanwhile, Job chapter 42 verse 10 reads, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” These verses provide a similar story of suffering, loss, and restoration as the epitaph, and this inscription was likely intended to provide comfort to Laura’s family. Researched and conserved by Amanda Horned

For more information, you may contact the researcher(s) noted in the title of this exhibit entry, or Dr. Billie Follensbee, the professor of the course, at BillieFollensbee@MissouriState.edu