Mausoleums were traditionally built to house a single person or family. However, towards the end of the 1800’s, more complex structures were created to serve the general public, offering both crypts for above-ground burial, and niches, for cremated remains. Often these buildings are graced by beautiful stained-glass windows, honoring the community of the dead within.
The development of photography led to another way of honoring loved ones. While formal family photographs kept alive the memory of a loved one at home, ceramic photos were created to be placed on gravestones in the cemetery. It is touching to walk through a cemetery where these exist and see the likeness of someone from long ago.
With the advent of the Civil War the first national military cemeteries were established. Military headstones tend to be uniform and precisely arranged. Our two world wars, and ongoing conflicts since then have kept the tradition alive.
