Sticks and Stones: Three Centuries of North Carolina Gravemarkers (Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Decorative Arts) - Softcover

Little, M. Ruth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1469621355 ISBN 13: 9781469621357

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, 2014

Synopsis

An old graveyard, writes Ruth Little, is a cultural encyclopedia--an invaluable source of insight and information about the families, traditions, and cultural connections that shape a community. But although graveyards and gravemarkers have long been recognized as vital elements of the material culture of New England, they have not received the same attention in the South. Sticks and Stones is the first book to consider the full spectrum of gravemarkers, both plain and fancy, in a southeastern state. From gravehouses to cedar boards to seashell mounds to tomb-tables to pierced soapstones to homemade concrete headstones, an incredibly rich collection of gravemarker types populates North Carolina's graveyards. Exploring the cultural, economic, and material differences that gave rise to such variation, Little traces three major parallel developments: a tradition of headstones crafted of native materials by country artisans; a series of marble monuments created by metropolitan stonecutters; and a largely twentieth-century legacy of wood and concrete markers made within the African American community. With more than 230 illustrations, including 120 stunning photographs by Tim Buchman, Sticks and Stones offers an illuminating look at an important facet of North Carolina's cultural heritage.

About this title

Review:

[B]ooks like "Sticks and Stones" are treasures that should be in every library."Vernacular Architecture Newsletter"

About the Author:

During twenty-five years documenting architectural history for the State Historic Preservation Office and as a private consultant, M. Ruth Little, an art historian, has worked to record, understand, and preserve the material culture of North Carolina.

About this edition

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1469621355
• ISBN 13: 9781469621357
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 346