GLOSSARY OF CEMETERY TERMS

Traditional Cemetery: A designated area of land reserved for the final resting place of human remains and permitting the use of flush and raised markers, and upright monuments for memorials.

Memorial Park Cemetery: A designated area of land reserved for the final resting place of human remains and allowing only the use of flush markers for memorials.

Section: An area of a cemetery that usually encircled by a road and has been subdivided into lots containing one or more grave spaces.

Lot: A subdivision of a Section that may contain one or several grave spaces.

Grave: The ground space reserved for the interment of human remains.

Interment: The process involved in burying a casket below the surface of the ground in an individual grave.

Burial Vault: An outer container used to enclose a casket for burial. This container may be steel or concrete as approved by the Cemetery. Cemeteries require burial vaults as a means to prevent the ground from caving in years after a burial has been completed.

Memorial: An item used at the gravesite to record the name of the person buried there and usually made of granite or bronze.

• Flush Markers are set so the top is level with the ground.
• Bevel Markers are set with the top about 8” above the ground.
• Double Markers are set centered on two or more graves.
• Monuments are upright memorials centered on two or more graves.

Mausoleum: This is a building that provides crypts for caskets and niches for urns. There are private family mausoleums and community mausoleums for the general public.

Crypt: A space in a mausoleum reserved for the entombment of a casket.

Entombment: The process involved in placing and sealing a casket inside a mausoleum crypt.

Cremains: A contracted word for cremated remains.

Niche: A space in a mausoleum reserved for receiving an urn containing cremains.