Ever wondered what was up with those gravestones in the Eureka Springs Cemetery that look like tree trunks? This past Thursday the Abendschone Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) heard a presentation from Susan Young, outreach coordinator for the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale. Tree trunk gravestones were a signature of the fraternal group Woodmen of the World (WOW).
“Susan said that in the 25 years she has given cemetery programs, this is the first time she gave a program at a cemetery,” historic preservationist for the Abendschone DAR, Suzanne Williams, said. “She thought that was a great idea. People were so happy with the program and walk that we’re going to do another program in the spring.”
Young said that the cemetery is a great way to highlight history as gravestones tell stories when you know what signs to look for.
For example, the tree trunk grave markers don’t necessarily mean that the decreased was a woodworker. WOW was a fraternal organization popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s that was an offshoot of the Rustic Movement, which represented a yearning to reconnect with nature. This movement extended to cemetery art.
“This cemetery is a great example being not just a resting place for the decreased, but a delightful place full of trees and birds, a place where it is good to bring the family for a picnic and remember their ancestors,” Young said.
The organization was first known as the Modern Woodmen of America (MWA), which adopted the “woodman” theme from the idea of pioneers carving out the forest to make a safe place for their families. In a similar way, men could provide a secure future for their families by taking out a life insurance policy with Modern Woodmen of America. It was an organization open only to white men, with a similar organization for African American men and an auxiliary organization for women.
“This was before there were government programs to help widows or orphans,” Young said. “This provided support for the family including death benefits of $1,000 to $2,000.”
Joseph Cullen Root founded MWA in 1883, and it operated in nine central western states. By 1890, Root was unhappy with MWA and left it to organize WOW. At the time, Root said he envisioned an organization dedicated to helping its fellow man. Its purpose was “to minister to the afflicted to relieve distress; to cast a sheltering arm about the defenseless living … to encourage broad charitable views…”
Young said WOW was a fun social club that was respected and had elaborate initiation rites that sometimes included riding blindfolded on a mechanical goat.
“This was social time for men,” she said. “Men loved it.”
She added that these markers are usually seen in rural areas where people were not given a lot of opportunities to buy life insurance. They were popular in the Victorian era. “And Eureka Springs is an iconic Victorian Era community,” she said.
All of those attending the program at the cemetery this past week were women, with the exception of Mayor Butch Berry, a history buff who grew up in Eureka Springs. Berry said at the meeting that he became a member of WOW when he was only three years old, and assumes his grandmother purchased the policy.
Members of WOW wore elaborate uniforms and would hold extravagant funeral celebrations when a member passed away. “They got a major sendoff,” Young said.
The insurance was not only for peace of mind, but to also make sure the family had money to handle funeral expenses and purchase a gravestone. Root was a firm believer that no grave should go unmarked.
Young said initially the organization gave away tree trunk tombstones either free or for a $100 rider. The tombstones were crafted in all different varieties by local monument makers. Later the tombstones became too expensive to be included with the life insurance policy, but members can now buy a bronze medallion that can be affixed to a tombstone indicating membership in WOW.
Young said the tree tombstones have become an important part of cemetery culture. But new tree tombstones have become rare since their heyday early in the 1900s. In addition to the end of the WOW tombstone program, another reason tree trunk tombstones diminished was that some cemeteries started requiring flat tombstones to make it easier to mow around graves.
There are 28 tree trunk gravestones in the Eureka Springs Cemetery, which was founded in 1889. Several of those were for women with the auxiliary. Young said the WOW Women’s Auxiliary worked to benefit disabled youths and others in need.