Norfolk Rotarian and Civil War buff Steve Jones led a guided twilight tour through historic Elmwood Cemetery.  Laid out in 1853, Elmwood is a quintessential Victorian cemetery.  Designed by Norfolk bricklayer, John Ridley, the design combines the garden cemetery feel of a private landscaped park and the efficiency of a grid-like structure to its lots. 

 

The cemetery spans 50 acres with an estimated 46,000 burials and 30,000 monuments.  Lots were sold to both families and organizations.  On the tour, we saw a variety of monuments including the Couper memorial designed by William Couper, a Norfolk resident who established Couper Marble Works.  The eight foot high statue is made of bronze with a recording angel atop a six-foot granite base as a memorial to his mother.  We also saw the Core Mausoleum which is constructed of Vermont granite and is graced by two bronze sculptures.  The Core Mausoleum is the most expensive in Elmwood costing $100K in 1910 (estimated at $1.5M today). 

 

Steve is pictured pointing out the various features of the Veith/Dalton family plot.  This monument reflects the departed resting on the tree of life.  There are two urns of buring flames which represents resurrection and it is topped by a funerary urn.