Anchor
A symbol of hope for eternal life, the anchor can also represent sailors or shipbuilders, says Lisa Long at Ohio History Connection. "If [the sea] was important enough in their life, the anchor may show up on their tombstone," she says. Find it An anchor is featured on the memorial of Henry Steinbrenner, the Cleveland shipbuilding magnate and father of late New York Yankees owner George.
Find it ‡¨An anchor is featured on the memorial of Henry Steinbrenner, the Cleveland shipbuilding magnate and father of late New York Yankees owner George.
Square and Compass
The symbol can be found on the gravestones of Freemasons. "It symbolizes mind and matter, and the progression from the material to the intellectual and spiritual," says Lisa Long at Ohio History Connection.
Find it ‡¨It appears on the Lake View headstone of Andrew Irvine Jr., a draftsman who emigrated from Scotland in the late 1800s.
Wreath
Dating to ancient Rome and Greece, wreaths have symbolized victory or success. "They were given when you won a race or triumphed over something," says Lisa Long, reference archivist at Ohio History Connection.
Find it ‡¨Wreaths frame the memorial of Cleveland sculptor William M. McVey, who created the Jesse Owens statue downtown and the limestone grizzly bear outside the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Winged Solar Disk
As Egyptian symbols became popular in the early 1900s, they spurred the art deco and Egyptian revival movements of the 1920s. The discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922 only increased their popularity. "The winged sun signifies royalty, power and divinity," says Lisa Long at Ohio History Connection.
Find it ‡¨The design appears above the door of doctor and real estate investor Lillian Gertrude Towslee's mausoleum.
