Last night’s field trip to historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta was an eye-opening experience. Here are some photos of outstanding stone monuments. Loved this Egyptian-type arch, erected by the Kontz family.
A number of the graves were from the mid-1800s and Victorian symbolism abounded. This headstone for a 22-month old child has a fallen dove and a very short tree trunk. The trunk symbolizes a life cut short. The shorter the truck, the shorter the life. There were lambs on 
headstones for children. Check out the stone pillows below, representing eternal rest.
Our tour guide said there were 70,000 residents in the cemetery, and one-third of the dead were children. Infant mortality was so much more prevalent 100 to 150 years ago. 12,000 African-Americans are among those buried here, and there are large Jewish sections as well.
One of the famous “residents” is Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone With The Wind.” We visited her grave, pictured below. She died at the age of 48, killed by a drunk driver on Peachtree Street – she was walking across the street.
