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08.18.13

John Foster | Accidental Mysteries

Folk Funeraria of the South

As a Southerner, I was happy to find this blog about grave markers in the South. I have often photographed gravestones in my home state of North Carolina, and pay special attention to the typography, style of carving, and variety of stone. Skill level and style of carving obviously varies from region to region, and this individuality is very evident in the photographs here.

Folk Funeraria is a collection of photographs taken by folklorist Sarah Bryan, who writes that she spends a great deal of time driving the backroads of the region, often stopping to visit cemeteries. Bryan says her blog is not a systematic documentation, but simply an aesthetic appreciation of how Southerners memorialized their loved ones.

Sarah Bryan is a UNC-trained folklorist (MA, 2003), and has worked in the field of folklife documentation for more than a decade. Sarah specializes in the cultural heritage of the American South, where she has conducted documentary work for and with a variety of organizations including the North Carolina Folklife Institute, North Carolina Arts Council, South Carolina Arts Commission, and Levine Museum of the New South.

All images © Sarah Bryan

Family graveyard on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Laurel Springs (Alleghany County), NC

Bethel United Methodist Church near Cheraw (Chesterfield County), South Carolina

Old Burying Ground, Beaufort (Carteret County), North Carolina

Center Methodist Church, Montgomery County, NC

Andrews Free Will Baptist Church, Trenton (Jones County), NC

New Hope Cemetery, Orange County, NC

Old Smithville Cemetery, Southport (Brunswick County), North Carolina

St. James Episcopal Church, Wilmington (New Hanover County), NC

Deep Creek Friends’ Meeting, Yadkin County, North Carolina

Zion Lutheran Church, near Speedwell, Wythe County, Virginia

Zoar Cemetery, Uwharrie National Forest (Montgomery County), NC

Mount Zion AME Zion Church, near Mount Gilead, Montgomery County, North Carolina

Posted in: Accidental Mysteries, Arts + Culture, History

Comments [1]

Great cemetery photos. I catalogued a country church cemetery in southwest Georgia a few winters ago and will share a few of the intersting photos. Also, just completed "Tampa's Historic Cemeteries" (Tampa, Florida) book this year. Great way to preserve our history.

sbenderpc
08.26.13
05:09

John Foster and his wife, Teenuh, have been longtime collectors of self-taught art and vernacular photography. Their collection of anonymous, found snapshots has toured the country for five years and has been featured in Harper’s, Newsweek Online and others.

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