Angels

During my travels and "off the beaten path" adventures, I have acquired quite a collection of pictures of angels. They range from magnificent angels, worthy of art galleries ... To primitive angels, like this one I discovered on the side of a country road ... Most of the angels I've captured with my camera have been on monuments or headstones in cemeteries, like the famous "Turning Angel" in the Natchez City Cemetery ... Here are a few others from my collection: This Baby Angel watches over the final resting place of a little girl named Florence. To read my post about Florence, you can click on the link ... Another "baby angel" ... I found this shy little angel hiding in some bushes in a cemetery in Yazoo City, Mississippi ... And these iron angels were on an old rusty gate in Vicksburg's beautiful Cedar Hill Cemetery ... A fallen angel at Cedar Hill ... And little girl angels ... "Linka" "Dorothy" Two Sisters' Angel (Lillian and Lena) "Addie" Kneeling Angels Guardian Angels Do you believe we have guardian angels? I do.

Lagniappe at Cedar Hill

A realtor showed our house a couple of days ago, and I had to leave for a while, so I grabbed my cameras and headed to one of my favorite places in Vicksburg — Cedar Hill Cemetery. Some of you may think it's strange that a cemetery is one of my favorite places to visit, but I never fail to find lagniappe there in some form or another, the greatest of which is a feeling of peace and tranquility as I walk among the beautiful old monuments and tombstones.

One of the first things I noticed as I drove into the cemetery that day was this old Eastern Red Cedar tree whose branches were so loaded with blue berries that the whole tree had a bluish cast to it, even from a distance.

I found it interesting that from one direction it appeared to be standing straight and tall, but from the side, it looked as if it could topple over any minute. It makes you wonder how it came to be leaning like that.

As I got closer, I was amazed by its beautiful fruit. Its branches were bending from the weight of the clusters of blue berries.

There was lagniappe all around me that afternoon. I couldn't help but notice the bleached-white trunk and limbs of this huge Sycamore tree on top of a kudzu-covered hill overlooking the cemetery ...

And I almost stepped on this little bit of lagniappe — a clump of tiny purple wildflowers.

I'm so glad I didn't step on them ...

Just a few feet away from the cedar tree, I discovered these little bells gracing a gravesite, which I thought was nice ...

I'm always curious about the lives of the ones who lie beneath the stones, and I'm always amazed by the information you can gather just by doing a little research on the Internet. The inscription on this headstone prompted me to try to find out more about this Confederate soldier who was born in Louisiana.

I discovered that William Whitmell Martin was born at Albemarle Plantation, near Napoleonville, Louisiana, in 1846. At the beginning of the Civil war he enlisted in the Phoenix Guards ... which became a part of the 8th Louisiana Volunteer Infantry, CSA. Some time later he was "invalided" and returned home ... When he had sufficiently recovered his health, on Jan. 1, 1863, he was elected captain of a new company raised in the vicinity of his home, which later became Co. C, of the 26th Louisiana Volunteer Infantry. A short time later, Capt. Martin was promoted to the rank of major. He was in the reserve at the great battles of Manassas and Bull Run. He took part, also in the battle of Chickasaw Bayou, and was killed June 21, 1863, during the Siege of Vicksburg.

The ornate iron fence, or what's left of it, beckoned me to get a closer look at this headstone.

The inscription reads: Dr. Thos. B. Benedect, Assistant Surgeon C.S.A., Died in Vicksburg, Miss., June 1st, 1863. Aged 52 years. He died at his Post. Dying for a land and cause that he Loved more than life, and he Died in faith, falling asleep in JESUS.

I couldn't find additional information about Dr. Benedect (unusual spelling), or about this young man who "gave his life that another might live."

I would love to know the rest of his story.

I enjoyed my time at Cedar Hill, but, unfortunately, the realtor didn't sell our house while I was gone. We're still waiting (not so patiently, now) for the right people to come along and buy it, but God hasn't led them to us yet. Perhaps He is waiting until after the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I think January would be a great time to move, don't you!

Cedar Hill Lagniappe

One of my favorite places in Vicksburg to explore and photograph is a beautiful old cemetery called Cedar Hill. I have written several posts featuring some of the magnificent monuments there, and no matter how many times I visit the cemetery, I find new and interesting things (to me, anyway) to capture with my camera.

(If you would like to read some of my previous posts, you can click on the links at the bottom of this post.)

I was in the cemetery a couple of days ago to take some pictures for a recent post (A House Under Siege), and here are a few things that caught my attention ...

I love old iron fences and was sad to see the remnants of this one literally being claimed by the earth.

I love this old bench that was sitting under a tree in a family plot, high on a hill.

And the sweet inscription on this stone, which was in the plot where the bench was, tugged at my heart ...

This brick is part of an old brick wall, and I wondered about its origin.

I "googled" Tanner bricks, Vicksburg, and discovered that the J. D. Tanner Brick Manufacturing plant in Vicksburg, was established about 1880. The bricks were manufactured by "the soft-mud process," and were molded by hand! Don't you just love Google! It is an invaluable and unlimited fountain of information and history for me in my never-ending quest to tell "the rest of the story."

And speaking of which, I would love to know about the family who loved and lost their twin sons on the day of their birth that September day in 1907. I love the inscription on the stone ...

I so wanted to put this stone back together ...

I truly think I could spend an entire day in Cedar Hill Cemetery and be perfectly content. I especially want to visit the "Soldiers' Rest" section of the cemetery, which is the final resting place for an estimated 5,000 Confederate soldiers who died of sickness or wounds during the Siege of Vicksburg.

We have been enjoying several days of spring-like weather here in Vicksburg, so perhaps I can take a day next week and explore Soldiers' Rest. Wish you could go with me!

Previous posts featuring Cedar Hill: The Monuments of Cedar Hill In the Arms of the Angels Forever in Stone Fences and Finials

Fences and Finials

I love old cemeteries and Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg is one of my favorites. Every time I visit it, I see it from a different perspective and find new and interesting (to me, at least) things to take pictures of.

I went to Cedar Hill recently and photographed some of the beautiful old ornate iron fences that surround some of the older family plots located in the cemetery. Most of them are in dire need of restoration, but even in their tumbled-down state, with broken and missing pieces, they are truly works of art. Created by artisans over a hundred years ago, they still retain a beauty all their own which is only enhanced by the passage of time and elements of Nature.

You can click on the images to enlarge them if you'd like to get a closer look at the amazing details.

I've never seen a fence like the one shown below, and would love to know the signficance of the eye, arrows, and hourglass designs. Notice the bottom piece that goes into the ground. [Follow-up: I received a comment from my friend, Marty Kittrell, who said he believes the eye and hourglass are Masonic symbols. If you haven't met Marty through his blog, you should treat yourself by visiting him soon. His photography is truly awesome.]

I love this little gate, with its delicate scroll design ...

One thing I found interesting was that depending upon the direction of exposure, one length of a fence might be rusty red, while another side was tinged with green moss or lichen.

As I walked among the fences, I noticed an abundance of robins around me and was able to capture this one with my zoom lens as he perched on a headstone.

I didn't know birds could frown, but this one surely looks like he is. I guess I "ruffled his feathers" ...

I also caught this buzzard soaring overhead. Such an ugly bird on the side of a road, but just look at this one's wings spread in full flight ...

I loved this little lamb at rest behind one of the fences.

And this Madonna-like statue, especially her beautiful face.

I had my new macro lens with me, and before I left the cemetery, I captured a couple of close-ups of a flowering quince plant in bloom.

I hope you enjoyed my photo journal of my visit to Cedar Hill as much as I enjoyed being there. It's a beautiful and peaceful place and, in a way, makes me feel as if I have spent some time visiting with God. The words to the old hymn, "In the Garden," come to mind:

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses.
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.