David D. Williams - West Hill Cemetery - Sherman, TX, USA - Doves of peace on Waymarking.com

The Woodmen of the World are known today as WoodmenLife, a fraternal society that provides insurance to its members. Visitors to older cemeteries can frequently spot the tree trunk monuments that they placed at the graves of their members, although not every tree trunk monument out there was placed by the Woodmen of the World: It was common in the late 19th century to use a log to note that a person had died young, and many infants have such grave markers. Eventually, those tree trunk monuments became too expensive to produce, and headstones would be marked with a Woodmen of the World emblem of some kind. Earlier ones featured a dove of peace with an olive branch in its beak, flying over a fallen log where the tools of the woodmen's trade -- hatchet, mallet, and wedge -- can be seen. Later ones, like this one, would show a simple tree stump instead, and the dove and the tools would be displayed somewhere on the monument. While the hatchet and mallet are obvious here, one has to look a bit to find the wedge, which is driven into the top of the log, above the Woodmen of the World emblem.

This white marble Woodmen monument is in exceptional shape, given its age. A few fern fronds can be seen at the bottom, and a rope hanging on a sawed-off branch holds up a scroll with this inscription:

David D.
Williams

Born
Aug. 30, 1880

Died
Mar. 29, 1909

The dove is perched on the scroll, and note the detail that has survived over a hundred years.

Kind of dove: Dove with olive branch Used material for the dove: Other (explanation in the long description) Address: 1304 W Lamar St Sherman, TX USA 75092

Visit Instructions:

- The Waymarks coordinates must have been visited personally.

- A self-made picture of the Peace Dove has to be added to your log.

- Tell us something about your visit to the Peace Dove.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.