Plants and St. Louis Death Practices: What are the different cemetery movements, and how did our attempts to tame the landscape shape them? What role do plants play in the ways we memorialize our dead?
This essay explores how cemetery design has evolved in St. Louis—from churchyards to rural garden cemeteries, lawn cemeteries, and green burial grounds—and how plants have served as both symbols and active participants in the rituals of mourning.

Plant Iconography: Plants are more than part of the landscape—they’re also carved into stone. This piece explores the meaning behind floral and botanical imagery on tombstones, revealing how different plants carry unique messages of grief, hope, and eternal life across religious and cultural traditions.

The role of preservation when we talk about progress: Too often, “progress” is used as justification to erase cemeteries—especially those without living advocates. But what happens when communities do speak up? This piece examines the politics of preservation in St. Louis, and what we lose when sacred ground is sacrificed for highways, development, or vacant lots.

The role of ownership and endowment in the success of a cemetery: How does a cemetery promise everlasting care in a constantly changing world? This essay compares two St. Louis cemeteries—Bellefontaine and Father Dickson—to explore how ownership structures, funding models, and leadership decisions determine whether a cemetery is preserved… or forgotten.