A visual treat, this
lavishly illustrated book tells the story of Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia, a
Virginia Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The book traces the
history of this beautiful and extraordinary site that has survived since the 18th century
and remains an active cemetery today, while featuring it's outstanding collection of
historic funerary art, sculpture, and ironwork. Photographs both contemporary and
historical, postcards, drawings and memorabilia are used to illustrate the Cemetery's
story. Throughout the text, the author discusses Americans' changing attitudes
toward death and artistic taste, describes developments in the funeral business and burial
customs, and relates events in the history of the Petersburg area to Blandford Cemetery.
The book shows that Blandford is important, not by reason of its association with
anyone period or event, but because it lends insight into the panoply of life at the
falls of the Appomattox River over the past three hundred years. The book includes
160 photographs and illustrations and an illustrated map of the Old Burial Ground. |
