Private Mausoleums

The word "mausoleum" is derived from a very large structure built as a burial place for King Mausola, a ruler in the Persian Empire. Mausola's tomb was built between 353 and 350 B.C. and was eventually named as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The architectural styles of mausoleums vary and can range from very elaborate, such as the Taj Mahal, to very small and simple private above-ground tombs. Common styles found in American cemeteries are Baroque (very ornate decoration and flowing lines); Classical and Neo-Classical (columns, clean elegant lines, restrained ornament); Romanesque (intricate carvings and rounded arches); Gothic (towers and pointed or peaked arches); Art Deco (streamlined but with soft lines such as those found in 1930s appliances and toasters), Art Nouveau [anything with a natural look, such as rough-cut stone] and Egyptian (Woodlawn has obelisks but as monuments not mausolea).

Private mausoleums are generally impressive and showy monuments to success and wealth. They can also include private altars as in the Lloyd and Charlotte Ganoe mausoleum, as well as abundant space for inscriptions both inside and out. However, they do offer some practical advantages over in-ground burial. They are generally more accessible by automobile and offer shelter in inclement weather for family visitation and protection for floral or other tributes. Woodlawn's Ganoe [at right] and Conaway [see above] mausoleums are two examples of easy accessibility.

 
The Neo-Classical Sylvanus Lamb Watson mausoleum sits on
"The Hill" in Section I. In the foreground, behind the Watson mausoleum, an Egyptian obelisk marks Governor Aretas Brooks Fleming's grave. Obelisks are representatons of a ray of sunlight.