Artist, Robert Greenberg,
achieves national attention by rubbing the ancient stones in the oldest New Haven,
Connecticut cemetery.He uses our Aqaba rubbing paper and wax for this unique
project. Read more at~CLICK HERE~
News
Between the years 1866 - 1948 an estimated 8,000 people, mostly native Hawaiians, were forcibly taken from their families and sent to the Kalaupapa Peninsula because they were believed to have had leprosy, now officially named Hansen's Disease. Since there were no antibiotics in the 19th century, isolation was thought to be the best solution to deal with this contagious disease. The first group of 12 people arrived on January 6, 1866, and consisted of nine men and 3 women. They were accompanied by 4 family members who were designed as helpers.
The Kalaupapa National Historical Park is located on the island of Molokai in the State of Hawaii and was designated a national historic landmark on January 7, 1976, to honor and perpetuate the memory of those individuals who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa Peninsula.
It's most outstanding citizen of this colony was Father Damien deVeuter who arrived at Kalaupapa in 1873 and lovingly served the leprosy patients for 16 years until his death from the disease in 1889. He was canonized a saint on Oct. 12, 2009, by Pope Benedict XVI and is buried in the graveyard adjoining St. Philomena's Catholic Church, one of two churches on the island. Mother Marianne Cope who devoted her religious life to care for women and children leprosy patients will be canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012.
There are two cemeteries on the island which include many unmarked graves as well as monuments and markers to respect the victims of Kalaupapa tragedy. Our Aqaba rubbing paper and gravestone rubbing wax are being used under the supervision of Ka'ohulani McGuire, Cultural Anthropologist, to record all the information found on markers in these cemeteries for posterity.
Visitors are welcome to visit this beautiful remote island. Access to the island is limited to airplane or boat ride. Once there walking and mule ride are the best means of transportation.
Please visit the Kalaupapa National Historical Park site at www.nps.gov/kala/index.htm to read about its plans to commemorate a memorial to the Kalaupapa patients.
We at Gravestone Artwear wish to thank all of our loyal customers who not only this year, but through the many years have kept us busy with creating items for all to enjoy ! Have a Safe and happy Holiday! Paulette & Cassandra
THE DIGNITY MEMORIAL VIETNAM WALL VISITS NEW YORK CITY
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum at Pier 86 in New York City will
host the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall from November 7 - 20, 2011.
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum at Pier 86 in New York City will
host the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall from November 7 - 20, 2011.
This is the first time ever the traveling wall will be in
Manhattan. The wall is a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., standing 240 feet long and eight
feet high. It is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000
Americans who died or are missing in Vietnam. We are honored during
this Veteran’s Day period to have our rubbing kits available at the
Intrepid Museum shop so loved ones can create a lasting black wax
impression of a person’s name from its inscription on the wall.
The wall serves as a reminder of the human losses and speaks of the
heroism, courage and bravery of the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam
War. It brings people together and fosters healing to verterans and
their families and instills an awareness for all - young or old - who gaze upon it.
To learn more about the museum exhibit, please visit
http://www.intrepidmuseum.com/
http://www.dignitymemorial.com/
http://www.intrepidmuseum.com/
http://www.dignitymemorial.com/
I just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with your grave rubbing supplies.
The "Aqaba"paper is unbelievable - I love its cloth-like texture which makes it so easy to "wrap" around a stone - I don't have to worry about it tearing (like the newsprint and parchment I used to work with...) which makes me feel more confident that I won't compromise the gravestones.The rubbing waxes are fantastic also.I just returned from my Cape Cod vacation with the most beautiful rubbings I've ever done - Thanks to your fine products. Just thought you'd like to know
Sincerely,
Mike Marcinowski
The "Aqaba"paper is unbelievable - I love its cloth-like texture which makes it so easy to "wrap" around a stone - I don't have to worry about it tearing (like the newsprint and parchment I used to work with...) which makes me feel more confident that I won't compromise the gravestones.The rubbing waxes are fantastic also.I just returned from my Cape Cod vacation with the most beautiful rubbings I've ever done - Thanks to your fine products. Just thought you'd like to know
Sincerely,
Mike Marcinowski
Waldwick, NJ
The 34th annual conference of the Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS) was held at Colby College, Waterville, Maine, June 14 – 19th. There were lectures, workshops, exhibits, tours of Maine cemeteries and even sales tables – something for everyone interested in gravestone studies.
Lecture topics presented included Lynne Bagget’s “Incised Letterform”. As demonstrated by Lynne, through careful examination of carved lettering, a stonemason can be identified and his heritage revealed. She also takes this process one step further and creates the most interesting art forms from lettering found on graves and other resources. Even her cast forms taken from contemporary sign lettering have their roots in the ancient carvings.
Always, these lectures and workshops display our cultural heritage and our connections to ancient, medieval, colonial and Victorian influences when it comes to gravestone art and the men and women who carved the stones.
Other papers were presented on topics ranging from images of turn-of-the century Maine; rare Jewish cemetery monuments; portrait gravestones, finger pointing hand carved gravestones of the 19th Century; sandstone markers in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, cemeteries; grave structures in Louisiana and other parts of the South; Yellow Fever Epidemics; Old Dutch Cemeteries, and even a lecture on the allegorical death scene in which an angel guides a soul on the last voyage across water to a distant land. All of these lectures required a great deal of research by each presenter and inspire further study into each topic.
The most noteworthy hands-on two-day workshop during this conference is the Conservation workshop. It’s hard work and involves the participants in learning the proper techniques for cleaning, repairing, resetting stones and mortaring them into a base. And that’s the “Beginner” Workshop. That workshop is followed-up by a full day advanced workshop which includes learning how to assess and document gravestones and monuments, use a consumer grade handheld GPS, advanced cleaning techniques, core drilling and removing rusted, damaged pins, adhesive repair of stone fragments and the use of various mortars for infills and replacement of lost materials. WOW! These workshops teach Association for Gravestone Studies participants conservation and restoration skills and they in turn use these skills to work in their favorite burying grounds and cemeteries to restore damaged markers, gravestones and of course monuments.
Other workshops included letterform casting; photography; making foil impressions of gravestones; paranormal experiences; understanding the history and evolution of cemetery markers; gravestone rubbing; and even “humor in the graveyard.”
The next AGS conference will be in June of 2012 at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey. Please contact the Association for Gravestone Studies in Greenfield, Massachusetts, for more details. Its web site is <gravestonestudies.org >
Here are photos of AGS conferees wearing Gravestone Artwear t-shirts.
Jane Macomber, President of the Maine Old Cemetery Association
The Phil Wooldridge Family from Great Meadows, New Jersey --
Jack, Lorner and Phil
Other Conferees:
Recent Blog Posts
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- The Kalaupapa National Historical Park Service on the Island of Molokai, Hawaii, is using our Gravestone Artwear Rubbing Supplies to Record History. Between the years 1866 - 1948 an estimated 8,000 people, mostly native H...
- Best Wishes and Happy Holidays We at Gravestone Artwear wish to thank all of our loyal customers who not only this y...