Westview Cemetery

07/23/2026

Orly Casket, Rest Haven Tour, Abbey Construction: Westview on the Move

If you haven't been out to Westview in awhile, you need to change that; and here are three reasons why!

One: Last week, we installed a new display case to properly showcase and protect Little Mabb and Captain Brumby's Spanish American War uniforms (see past posts). Well, on Friday and over this past weekend, we moved and cleaned up one of the two Orly plane crash caskets that we've had in storage for the past 62 years. Why is that important? Read the attached history of the tragic 1962 event and come out and see it for yourself.

Two: Sunday, we are giving a tour of Rest Haven - Westview's historically Black cemetery section that opened in 1884. We started tours of this space last year, and they have been popular. Be sure to signup with the Atlanta Preservation Center if you are interested (see link below) and wear good walking shoes as parts of the tour are in wooded areas.

Three: Many people think we are just a historic cemetery. Nope! We have 300 acres of land still to use out of our nearly 600, and we bury more than 700 people a year. Looking for a space in our mausoleum? Check out these photos of the third-floor buildout we are doing with McCleskey Construction. While our abbey/mausoleum holds 11,444 crypt spaces, only 9,000 and some have been used. Therefore, come out and get one of these new spaces while they last. We hope to open this area in late fall to the public. Call for construction prices!

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07/16/2026

Westview Expands Historic Displays

A huge thank-you goes out to Randi Owens Arroyo who donated a display case to us yesterday to house more historic Westview artifacts.

The case allows us to better display - and prevent touchy-feely folks (no shame, some of us are tactile as well) - our Little Mabb (Adrian Esmilaire) doll and Lt. Brumby's Spanish-American War uniforms, the latter on permanent loan from the Polk County Historical Society in Cedartown, Georgia. (Scroll our past posts for history on Mabb and Brumby.)

So, the next time you are out here at Westview, ask to see our historic artifacts in our Family Room! It is the hope that one day we'll have enough money raised to open our 1890 gatehouse as a museum, whistle stop, community room, and more, and have all of these historical items displayed there professionally.

If you would like to donate and help our museum dream become a reality, please visit www.friendsofwestivew.org or contact the office. Naming rights are available!

Thank you, Randi!!

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07/13/2026

What Kind of Marker Is That? "Treestones"

When we give tours, we are often asked about the different styles of markers scattered throughout the cemetery or the symbols that are on them. Therefore, we thought this summer we'd offer several short posts on funerary art within our grounds.

To that end, our fourth entry in these "short posts" is about "treestones" or "tree stumps" or "tree-stump stones."

Popular between 1880 and the first few decades of the 1900s, treestones were derived from the Victorian rustic movement - a common example of the style is cast-iron lawn furniture, such as benches, that look as if they were made of branches and twigs.

Treestone monuments were usually made of limestone or granite and were available from local monument dealers and/or from the Sears and Roebuck or Montgomery Ward catalogs; they were often adorned with ferns, lilies or other plants and flowers, anchors (the subject of our next post), crosses, and/or objects that held meaning for the person whose grave the monument marked, such as pencils, brushes, and a palette for a painter. More often than not, these "trees" are "broken" at the top, indicating a life cut short.

Another take on these "treestones" - and one probably seen more than the above - is the familiar design used by the International Order of Woodmen of the World (WOW).

Started in 1883, WOW was part fraternal organization - think Masons - and part insurance company. Members got a life insurance policy and, upon death, a headstone. The latter looked like a stump or log - a monument to be used and accepted by men of all religions, including atheists and agnostics - that symbolized not only a tree that had been cut but also the fallen woodsman himself. These markers often include an axe, a splitting maul, hammer, wedge, the Latin phrase “Dum Tacet Clamat” (“though silent, he speaks”), or “Here rests a woodsman of the world” ("resting" never "lying") inscribed on them.

By the 1910s, the benefit of each WOW member receiving a headstone became unwieldy and expensive, and the organization stopped providing them. The organization, now known as WoodmenLife, however, still thrives.

At Westview, there are many of these markers in numerous older sections. Come out and take a look for yourselves. We've never gotten a total of just how many we have.

(All markers shown were photographed within Westview by employee Christia Holloway)

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07/09/2026

This year will mark our eleventh year of giving tours in conjunction with the Atlanta Preservation Center (APC) at Westview.

In 2015, the cemetery started giving two tours - the Nineteenth-Century Tour and the Candler-Era Tour. The latter was short lived; however, author and historian - and now Westview employee - Jeff Clemmons has given the Nineteenth-Century Tour (adding on Westview Abbey) for more than a decade. And there are no signs he's stopping anytime soon.

Additionally, last year, Westview (Clemmons) started giving tours of its Rest Haven section - the cemetery's historically African-American 1884 burial ground. It is that tour which is scheduled next - July 26, 2 p.m.

To the above, Westview is thrilled that an image of the fan-vault ceiling in the Florence Candler Chapel within Westview Abbey was used in recent promotional APC pieces.

Use the QR code attached and/or signup on APC's website for the Rest Haven tour, today. Please note, good shoes are required as the tour involves walking into a wooded area.

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07/01/2026

To our families and guests:

Westview’s Office and Westview Abbey will be CLOSED Saturday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

* The office will operate with reduced hours and staff the day before, Friday, July 3, 2026.

Gates are open during normal hours on both days: 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Have a happy and safe Fourth!

06/22/2026

What Kind of Marker Is That? "Obelisk"

When we give tours, we often get asked about the different styles of markers or the symbols that are on them, which are scattered throughout the cemetery. Therefore, we thought this summer we'd do several short posts on the funerary art within our grounds.

To that end, our third entry in these "short posts" is about obelisks. An obelisk (from the Ancient Greek "ὀβελίσκος") is a tall, tapered, four-sided monument that ends in a pyramidal shape at the top (a pyramidion).

Originally invented by the ancient Egyptians (and known as "tekhenu"), these pillars were typically carved from a single piece of granite - with the end covered in electrum (a gold and silver alloy) to catch the sun's rays - and erected in pairs at the entrances of temples. They played vital roles in Egyptian religion and mythology - symbolizing a ray of sunlight in reference/reverence to the sun god Ra, Egyptians' greatest deity.

The transition from a pagan symbol into a Christian one began in 1586 when the Catholic Church moved to St. Peter's Square what today is known as "The Vatican Obelisk" (aka, Caligula’s Obelisk) about 270 yards from the location Roman Emperor Caligula had placed it in 37 CE at the Circus of Nero (the site of St. Peter's martyrdom). Once moved, the Church mounted an orb and cross on the top of the obelisk to symbolize Christianity's victory over paganism.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Western architects started constructing and erecting obelisks for civic memorials, such as the Washington Monument in D.C. They served as secular monuments - rather than religious alters - for public art, war memorials, and cemeteries. To the latter, the "Egyptomania" (Egyptian Revival) craze had it's heyday during the 19th century; wealthy Victorians and cemetery designers adopted pyramids, obelisks, and sphinxes to symbolize eternity, resurrection, and earthly power for grave markers.

At Westview, there are many different types of obelisks: those draped with veils/cloths (symbolizing 19th century funerary/mourning drapery customs or a veil between this world and heaven), those on plinths, and those that taper to the ground. The largest obelisk at Westview is George Valentine Gress's (lumber baron and donator of the Cyclorama to the City of Atlanta); it measures just under 30 feet in height.

So, drive out and count our obelisks; we've never gotten a total of just how many we have. One of the largest concentrations of these in the cemetery is in Section 9.

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06/17/2026

What Kind of Marker Is That? "IHS"

When we give tours, we often get asked about the different styles of markers or the symbols that are on them, which are scattered throughout the cemetery. Therefore, we thought this summer we'd do several short posts on the funerary art within our grounds.

To that end, our second entry in these "short posts" is "IHS," or less common, "IHC." These monograms are often emblazoned on crosses - sometimes overlaid on each other - and are among the most common asked about on a tour.

Many people think "IHS" (Greek) or "IHC" (Roman) is an abbreviation for "in hoc signo" - a Latin phrase shortened from "in hoc signo vinces" ("in this sign you will conquer"), which Roman Emperor Constantine supposedly saw in a vision before heading into battle in 312 AD. Others think the two sets of initials are abbreviations of the Latin phrase "Iesus Hominum Salvator" ("Jesus, Savior of Men"). Both thoughts are false.

"IHS" or "IHC" quite simply comes from the first three letters of Jesus's name...

In Greek lettering: IHSOYS/Ihsoys or IHSUS/Ihsus = IHS (iota, eta, sigma)
With the Roman alphabet: IHCOYC/Ihcoyc or IHCUC/Ihcuc = IHC

For our protestant followers, you have more than likely seen these letters on crosses on or above your Sunday pulpits for decades.

As numerous examples of "IHS/IHC" exist throughout the cemetery, come take a look for yourselves!

OF NOTE: "IHS" meaning "In His Service" or "I Have Suffered" is a "backronym" (a portmanteau of "backward" and "acronym") that is used to put a "modern" meaning onto an older acronym (in this case, monogram), i.e. - sorta - an urban legend.

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06/12/2026

What Kind of Marker Is That?

When we give tours, we often get asked about the different styles of markers or the symbols that are on them, which are scattered throughout the cemetery. Therefore, we thought this summer we'd do several short posts on the funerary art within our grounds.

To that end, our first entry - the canopy monument (aka baldachin or ciborium).

A popular style at the end of the 19th century and very early 20th century, these Classical Revival- or Gothic Revival-styled monuments "sheltered" either a marker, or artwork, and represented - to some - divine protection or a sacred gateway to heaven. Others believed the style harkened back to when "baldachins" - originally of cloth - were placed over thrones or alters (the latter often referred to as a "ciborium") to symbolically increase the spiritual power of the person or object it covered.

Examples of these exist in Westview's sections 9, 11, and 12.

Come take a look for yourselves, and send us a style you might be interested in!

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06/05/2026

Need something to do this weekend?

Join us this Sunday at 2 p.m. for a 2.5 to 3-hour tour of Westview's historic grounds.

Learn about the cemetery's founding in 1884, the Battle of Ezra Church, lawn-park and memorial park cemeteries, Coca-Cola scion Asa Candler Jr.'s involvement, author Joel Chandler Harris, business titan J.J. Haverty, novelist Frances Newman, Civil Rights leader Donald Lee Hollowell, the massive 11,444-crypt abbey, big game trophy rooms, Hollywood productions, and so much more.

Sign up below. Tour starts at gatehouse. Please note, no restrooms. Tour is WEATHER DEPENDENT.

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call.

ALSO: BE AWARE THAT A LARGE PORTION OF I-285 WILL BE CLOSED THIS WEEKEND. Traffic may be challenging.

Come learn about the lives of many important Atlantans while enjoying beautiful sculptures and historic structures

05/24/2026

Please note, today's 2 p.m. walking tour has been canceled due to the weather. Please check back for a rescheduled time.