Fascination with Cememteries

This is going to be a prelude to my photos to try and explain how I came to be fascinated with graveyards, tombstones,  and statues in cemeteries. I have a love of history and travel quite a lot, going to historical places has always been a love. Trying to see how those before us have lived and imagine what their lives were like. Every where I have been I always try to find the oldest cemetery, and who is that graveyard, whether they be famous, part of history, or just historic. I think it was started when I lived in Austin, Texas, and went to see Sam Bass who was a outlaw buried in the Old Round Rock Cemetery. While there I discovered near the grave site of outlaw Sam Bass., while there I discovered one-half acre of that cemetery was set aside for slave burials. Enclosed by cedar posts and barbed wire, sites are marked head and foot with large limestone rocks. Some  are hand-grooved with names and dates. . The first marked grave of a freed slave is dated 1880. Although there are 40 to 50 known burial sites of freedmen and the burial ground is still in use, no interments of former slaves occurred after the turn of the century. White graves here are dated as early as 1851 . And from that point on I was totally hooked. So now it is a requirement when I go to a new town.

This is Sam Bass

From Wikipedia,

 

And his tombstone:

 

And these:

 

 

 The slave cemetery ,( images from the Historical Commission)  and some of the graves:

 

 

 

      After I left here, I became a volunteer to help clean up , preserve and document these final resting places. It has been a most unique journey. One I hope you travel with me ... until next time I leave you with this :

Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day, unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear. - Anonymous