Black Obelisk

Not the famous Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, but one found recently in Lexington Cemetery, with a reverse-engraved image of the deceased youth, and a rather impenetrable inscription.



An obelisk is a tall, narrow, four-sided, tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top. It originates in ancient Egypt, where it symbolized the sun god Ra. During the brief religious reformation of Akhenaten, the obelisk was also said to be a petrified ray of the Aten (the sundisk god) and that he literally inhabited the structure.

Because of the Egyptian funerary associations with the shape, obelisks remain a popular type of grave marker today; but it's doubtful that many people realize the occult symbology they're taking part in.

Jefferson Davis Monument

And hey, speaking of obelisks, how about the Jefferson Davis Monument in Fairview, KY? (That's the one in Todd County, by the way - Kentucky has several Fairviews)

Most people, for whom the Washington Monument is their only frame of reference for obelisks, do a double take when they view this for the first time.

The Jefferson Davis Monument is the tallest unreinforced concrete structure in the world - no steel was used to reinforce the concrete. I don't know about you, but that makes me more than a little concerned. Then again, the building has stood up just fine since 1924.

Since all the taller obelisks are constructed of blocks of stone, that also makes the Jefferson Davis Monument the tallest poured-concrete obelisk in the world.


It's generally regarded as the third tallest obelisk in the world, behind the San Jacinto Monument and the Washington Monument. However, the San Jacinto Monument is not quite a true obelisk, and so technically the Jefferson Davis Monument should be number two.

Floyd's Defeat Mass Grave

This marker in Eastwood Cemetery commemorates the Kentucky pioneers killed or captured by indians in the battle that came to be known as "Floyd's Defeat". This was part of the same incident as the Long Run Massacre, in which Huron and Miami indians killed 76 settlers and soldiers during a two-day period.

The marker, which is located beside the cemetery's fence, indicates that the men are actually buried in a mass grave on the other side (see image below).


Also in Eastwood, you'll find an obelisk marking the battle site and honoring Col. John Floyd and his men, who died, as the inscription states, "in a contest with the Indians in 1781".

Capt. James Howard

I often lament that gravestones don't tell us more information about the person, or at least how they died. Well, the grave for Captain James Howard (1814-1976) in Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery does that and then some, with a lengthy biography of him on all four sides of his immense granite obelisk. Considered by many to be the most successful steamboat builder in American history, Howard's grave is certainly a fitting tribute to the memory of a man whose greatness is all but forgotten in this modern world.