From Vicky Wall:  I have seen a cemetery at Ocean Isle, N.C. in which almost every
grave was decorated with shells: whelks, helmets, and cockles. Some of the graves
were completely covered with old shells. Most of the graves dated back to the
early 1900's.

Amy Lyn Edwards wrote:

> I have noticed the use of Whelk (Busycon spp.) shells on graves in Crawford
> Georgia.  The graves are of children who died in the early 1900s.  Crawford
> is not a coastal town (it is ~5 hours from the coast).  I have no idea how
> or why they would be used.
> Amy
>
> >In a message dated 8/3/1999 9:25:16 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
> >[log in to unmask] writes:
> >
> ><<
> > We found several conch shells in two old cemeteries of German
> > immigrants,
> > ca. 1850-1900.  Could you possibly tell me the symbolism involved?  The
> > cemeteries are located in St. Charles County, MO a great distance from
> > the
> > ocean for immigrants in the middle to late 1800's.  Not easily supplied
> > I
> > would think.  We found four conchs in all, very old!!
> >
> > Dick Schroeder and Phyllis Gumm
> >  >>-------------------------------------
> >
> >I don't know what culture originated the use of conchs but...
> >while I was visiting in the Bahamas I noted they would use conch shells in
> >much of their decorating.  It was in the masontry of their buildings (walls)
> >also.  My guess is that since it is a mainstay in the Bahamian diet, the
> >empty shells become cumbersome and have to be used for something.  [there
> >isn't much space to dump stuff on islands or a great deal of building tools.]
> > Any way I noted that there were chonch shells in their cemetaries as well.
> >But I don't know it there was a symbolic reason for it.
> >April
>
> Amy Edwards, Program Coordinator ------ [log in to unmask]
>
> Georgia Museum of Natural History    --------    phone (706) 542-4137
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