Tree Shaped Tombstones - Calvary Cemetery Milwaukee

My visit to Calvary Cemetery on the west side of Milwaukee was impromptu.  I had a bit of extra time, the traffic was not too bad, and there was a delightful sort of mist in the air.  Just right for taking tombstone photos.  I did no research.  I could tell from driving past it on other occasions that it was the proper age.  And within about a minute of entry I could tell it was a Catholic establishment.  There are just some styles you almost always see in such places.  Like this:

There were quite a few of this style, one I refer to as the "Rugged Cross" variant.  Other than a tendency to turn up in Catholic settings these may have been over represented here because it is a hilly place and these look to have a bit more stability to them.  Were people thinking that long term back in the late 1890's?

Here's another kind you see in Catholic cemeteries so frequently that it is almost diagnostic.  A cross tacked on the top of a conventional "tree".

But this one had something very special.  You don't often get these little clues into the construction of tombstones.  Let's zoom in on that dove, shall we?

Clearly this was made in sections.  The tail has broken off over time revealing the bronze pin that held him together!

There are lots of variations on where the cross got perched on these tombstones.  Here's an odd one.  I also am puzzled by the pattern of the green moss....visually interesting as always but why so patchy?

The specimen above is the exception to the rule at Calvary, it is tall and thin.  Most of the trees I encountered were on the short and tubby side.  Maybe it was just the style of the carvers.

The cut off limbs here each have a name and dates of birth and death.  The latter range all the way from1870 up into the 20th century.  Clearly this was a monument put up later that incorporated earlier family members.

Here's one I post just to show how skilled the stone carvers really were.  The distant view:

Cool by the way that the name is STONE.  And here's the elaborate detail.  Remember, carved by hand:

There are other interesting things to see at Calvary.  Here's the front entrance as seen from inside:

And a tomb so fascinating that I had to snap a pic.  Anyone other than me recognize what they were copying?  Hint, its not in Egypt.