Warren G. Harding Tomb, Marion, Ohio

Two photos taken in August 1988.  The Harding tomb was designed to have one column for every state in the Union, but by the time construction began the Teapot Dome scandal and others had hit the newspapers and donations dried up, resulting in it falling two short, 46 instead of 48.  Given Warren G. Harding's current reputation historically, it can be a little hard to believe the country was devastated when he died in office.   

Some historians believe that Harding, who was personally honest (his weakness was women, not lining his pockets) was beginning to realize just how corrupt some of his friends and cronies were and that the stress of worrying about impending scandal contributed to his untimely death.  There's also been speculation that his jealous wife had him poisoned, but it's most likely he died from complications of a food-borne infection.  No one knows for sure because the doctors who had been treating him just prior to his death all gave different descriptions of his illness, and his wife had him embalmed in record time. 

Words fail me

Located in Galloway, Wisconsin, at the intersection of County Highway C and Wisconsin state Highway 49.  It's more colorful in person, if such a thing is possible.

It does pay to get off the Interstate occasionally.

Photo taken May 26, 2010, enroute to Antigo from Stevens Point.

Paint Rock, Alabama

The northwest corner of the intersection of state highway 65 and US highway 72. No identifying information and, given the weeds starting to block them, no recent maintenance.

Emmet Cemetery, Dodge County, Wisconsin

I found this nifty example of a modern personalized vault while on vacation last summer.  I was taking Wisconsin highway 26 north from Janesville to Oshkosh and was feeling the need for a break from driving when I spotted the Emmet Cemetery.  I decided to stop, stretch my legs, and see if there were any markers of note, e.g., zinc or vernacular concrete.  

It's a typical rural community cemetery, and at first didn't appear to contain anything out of the ordinary.  The markers were a mix of popular styles dating back to the late 19th century, the usual tablets and obelisks with the exception of one tree marker. 

The tree was meant to designate a family plot.  There is one individual grave marker close to it, a small stump.  I'm always a little intrigued when I see that, a family plot that someone obviously intended to be the final resting place of multiple family members but only one or two persons end up interred there.  What happened to the rest of them?  Moved away?  Decided the idea of spending eternity next to one's parents or siblings had no appeal?  

The Sterwald vault shown is at the extreme rear of the cemetery, more or less at the center of the back row.  It is undoubtedly one of the niftiest modern personalized markers I've seen recently.  The use of color, the aerial view of the farm, the inclusion of the family pets (2 dogs, 2 cats) and the tractors . . . it's amazing. 

Photos were taken in late June 2009. Apologies for the mediocre quality; I was using a new camera and still figuring out how it worked.