Old Tombstone

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Old Tombstone
Old Tombstone listed on the NRHP in Roanoke County Virginia.JPG
Old Tombstone and its caged enclosure
USA Virginia location map.svg
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Location Hollins, VA
Coordinates 37°20′24″N79°56′27″W / 37.34000°N 79.94083°W / 37.34000; -79.94083 Coordinates: 37°20′24″N79°56′27″W / 37.34000°N 79.94083°W / 37.34000; -79.94083
Built1805
ArchitectLaurence Krone
NRHP reference # 80004222
Added to NRHP1980

Old Tombstone, also known as the Denton Monument, is a folk art tombstone listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register in the town of Hollins, Virginia, United States. Located in the Tombstone Cemetery, just east of Plantation Road (Virginia State Route 115), Old Tombstone is noted for its folk art elements as being unique to Southwest Virginia.

Folk art art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople

This article is about tangible folk art objects. For performance folk arts, see Folk arts.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

Virginia Landmarks Register

The Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) is a list of historic properties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The state's official list of important historic sites, it was created in 1966. The Register serves the same purpose as the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination form for any Virginia site listed on the VLR is sent forward to the National Park Service for consideration for listing on the National Register.

Contents

Description

Old Tombstone is a monolithic freestone carving marking the grave of Robert Denton, who died in 1805, and is 4 ft (1.2 m) long, 2.6 ft (0.79 m) wide and, 1.6 ft (0.49 m) at its thickest point. [1] The stone features a carving on its top exposing the head and torso of a child, with markings in German, English and Latin. [1] The inscription reads: [2]

Monolithic architecture

Monolithic architecture describes buildings which are carved, cast or excavated from a single piece of material, historically from rock. The most basic form of monolithic architecture is a rock-cut building, such as the monolithic churches of Ethiopia built by the Zagwe dynasty, or the Pancha Rathas in India. These are cut out of solid rock, to which they remain attached at the base. In most cases this is evident from the remaining surrounding rock, but sometimes a building is cut from an outcrop, as in the Shore Temple in southern India, and only inspection at close quarters reveals that the building is monolithic.

German language West Germanic language

German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English.

English language West Germanic language

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and eventually became a global lingua franca. It is named after the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to the area of Great Britain that later took their name, as England. Both names derive from Anglia, a peninsula in the Baltic Sea. The language is closely related to Frisian and Low Saxon, and its vocabulary has been significantly influenced by other Germanic languages, particularly Norse, and to a greater extent by Latin and French.

Once loved, once valued, now avails me not; Though my relations have not me forgot . . .

History

The monument was designed by Laurence Krone, a prolific Virginia-German carver. Its design featuring a carving of a child, although commonplace in New England during the period, is unique to Southwest Virginia. [1] Krone met the Dentons after the family took him in after falling ill at the turn of the 19th century. Due to the generosity of the family, Krone carved the monument free of charge upon the death of Robert Denton. [1] [2]

New England Region of the United States

New England is a region composed of six states of the northeastern United States: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north, respectively. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east and southeast, and Long Island Sound is to the south. Boston is New England's largest city as well as the capital of Massachusetts. The largest metropolitan area is Greater Boston with nearly a third of the entire region's population, which also includes Worcester, Massachusetts, Manchester, New Hampshire, and Providence, Rhode Island.

Southwest Virginia

Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virginia counties on the Appalachian Plateau, all Virginia counties west of the Eastern Continental Divide, or at its greatest expanse, as far east as Blacksburg and Roanoke. Another geographic categorization of the region places it as those counties within the Tennessee River watershed. Regardless of how borders are drawn, Southwest Virginia differs from the rest of the commonwealth in that its culture is more closely associated with Appalachia than the other regions of Virginia. Historically, the region has been and remains rural, but in the 20th century, coal mining became an important part of its economy. With the decline in the number of coal jobs and the decline of tobacco as a cash crop, Southwest Virginia is increasingly turning to tourism as a source of economic development. Collectively, Southwest Virginia's craft, music, agritourism and outdoor recreation are referred to as the region's "creative economy."

By 1967, the ornate lid that once covered the sandstone face and bust of the child was stolen. As a result of the theft, the Hollins Lions Club constructed a roof and chain-link cage around the monument to protect it from vandals. [2] Due to its architectural significance the monument was named to the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1977 and to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [2] The cemetery where it is located, Tombstone Cemetery, takes its name directly from that of Old Tombstone. [1]

Cemetery Place of burial

A cemetery or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word cemetery implies that the land is specifically designated as a burial ground and originally applied to the Roman catacombs. The term graveyard is often used interchangeably with cemetery, but a graveyard primarily refers to a burial ground within a churchyard.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (July 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Old Tombstone" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
  2. 1 2 3 4 Macy, Beth (January 21, 2002). "Old Tombstone Cemetery". The Roanoke Times. p. E1.
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