Every Halloween, my Girl Scout troop would go to the graveyard (right next to our camp! which made for some pretty interesting camping trips) and make gravestone rubbings. It might seem like a weirdly morbid thing to do with a lot of little kids, because of the inevitable conversations that will come up about death and all that. But surprisingly, all of my memories of the activity are happy ones. So much so that as a grown-up, I've kept up the practice. Whenever I visit the grave of a far-flung ancestor or when I'm on vacation and visiting a churchyard, I make sure to pack some paper and crayons in my bag to bring back a truly one-of-a-kind souvenir. It could be because I'm a history and genealogy buff. It could be that I'm overly sentimental. It could be because I'm a little weird. I don't know. I do know that grave rubbing is a great activity for little hands: it doesn't require much finesse, the results are always striking, and it offers a great excuse to acquaint little ones with family lore.
This past weekend I visited the family plot at St. Mary's and made a rubbing of a stone of a relative who died as a child. I've always had a soft spot for her, partly because nobody alive really remembers who she belonged to, and partly because she shares my name. On my last trip to the cemetery, I'd noticed that her grave was getting a little faded and worn, and I wanted to find a way to preserve it before it faded too much. Especially the beautiful Arabic writing at the bottom!
Some tips for making a grave rubbing of your own:
- Use medium weight paper: too thin will tear, too thick won't leave a good impression. I use an 18x24" sketchpad, with 50 lb. paper density.
- Bring a roll of painter's tape -- it's the best for securing the paper to the stone (Scotch tape is too flimsy and duct tape can leave a nasty residue).
- A lot of people like to use pastels, but I think they're really messy and prefer to use a thick "My first crayon"-style black Crayola (don't go too cheap with the brand of crayon you use -- sometimes they don't cover very well). The thin crayons work well for touch ups after you've brought your rubbing home.
- St. Paul's and Calvary Cemetery have some of the most interesting and historical gravestones in the area, but they're pretty old and can be covered in dirt and moss. An old toothbrush helps to loosen the grime so you can get a clearer rubbing.
Did you know that the Victorians used to have graverubbing parties, complete with picnic lunches and graveyard sleepovers? That's taking it a little far, even for me.
P.S.: While I was making my rubbing, Baby Anne parked herself on a grave and had a long conversation with the Virgin Mary statuette keeping watch. It went mostly like this: "Eye! Nose! E-I-E-I-O!" I hope the nice old couple whose grave it was appreciated the company because she sure enjoyed being there.
Have you ever made a gravestone rubbing? Would you display it in your home? I'm thinking of making a gallery wall going up the staircase. Creepy? Chic? Thoughts?
