February 14, 2008 – Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery

One type of monument especially popular from the Civil War through 1900 is the white bronze or zinc monument. White bronze is a misnomer, for the monument is not made of bronze, but rather zinc or more rarely, iron. The final patina is whitish to pale blue to darker blue, and the great benefit of this type of monument is that the embossed metal panels and ornaments hold epitaphs and images in sharp relief for a very long time. They seem to take the weather, moss and lichen growth and acid rain exceptionally well. The only drawback is that attached elements, such as a top urn, can be easily snapped off, and seams, especially at the base, can separate. With the proper method of repair, however, this is not much of a problem, but trouble results when concrete is used as a filler. The zinc monument offers a good crisp image for monument rubbing using rice paper and soft heelball wax. For more information on zinc monuments, visit these two links below. Oak Grove has many beautiful examples of this monument type.

http://www.si.edu/mci/english/research/conservation/zinc_sculptures.html

http://www.tngenweb.org/darkside/white.html

n. pl. mau·so·le·ums or mau·so·le·a 1. A large stately tomb or a building housing such a tomb or several tombs.

There are three mausolea built in the favored classical Grecian style at Oak Grove and one in a distinctly Gothic Revival mode.

The Turner Mausoleum can be found near the main entry , slightly to the center behind the Civil War obelisk and cannon memorial.

(west facade)

Typical triangular pediment (south facade)

The Sears and Charlton Mausolea are quite close together in the south end.

Earle Perry Charlton became a Vice President of Woolworth’s dimestore chain, a position he held until his death in 1930. Charlton Hospital, just down the street from Oak Grove is named in his honor. Mr. Charlton was a great philanthropist and benefactor to the city.