Roadside Crosses and Memorial Complexes in Texas

The experiences of my informants, as detailed here, point to a strong connection between activity at a death-site memorial and at the site of interment. Indeed, in other cases in which I did not make contact with anyone directly involved with the construction or maintenance, a correlation between the two sites was readily apparent. For example, Carmen Cortinas Vela's death is commemorated by a white cross which flanks the interstate highway on which she died in a head-on collision in May 1997. In December of that year, the cross was decorated with a large red ribbon, a garland and several smaller sprays of artificial poinsettias, sprigs of holly and a bouquet of artificial marigolds (Fig. 5). Potted poinsettias, sprigs of holly and marigolds were also among the remembrances at Vela's grave site in one of Austin's largest Catholic cemeteries, as well as several sea shells, two angel figurines, an unopened can of beer, a large plastic candy cane accompanied by two giant, cellophane-wrapped lollipops, a small, hand-painted ceramic cross, and greeting cards (Fig. 6).

[Figures 5-6 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Of course, cemetery regulations must be taken into account when comparing memorialisation activity. Generally speaking, Austin's older cemeteries, such as that in which Vela is buried, do not enforce the strict decoration policies in place at newer memorial parks. Evidence of greater activity at a roadside cross may be a result of restrictive cemetery policy. Vicki Biggs concentrates a large portion of memorial activity for her daughter, Tara, at the cross erected at the accident site by classmates and friends. She said:

   We really do more at the cross than we do at the cemetery. Yes, we put
   flowers and everything, but at the cemetery you're not allowed--now, at
   special occasions, like Christmas or whatever, for a couple of days they'll
   let you. But it's a flat headstone. And then they've got the built-in
   flower things. So, you're not supposed to, if it doesn't go into the flower
   thing, you're not really supposed to put anything down. And, in fact, I
   didn't know that at first, and I had, she [Tara] collected snow domes. And
   so I put one of her favourite snow domes out there and some Lion King
   figurines. And about a week later I went back out there and they were gone,
   somebody had taken them. But up at the cross I've got a snow dome up there,
   there's like three, one big, ceramic angel, two smaller ones, and there's
   Lion King figurines, and there's, you know, and no one's ever touched them.

Although Vicki regularly visits Tara's grave, she has a much freer hand to decorate the cross as she wishes, as do Tara's friends.

The cross was constructed by a family friend and painted at the accident site, the morning after Tara's death, by several of Tara's classmates and teachers, each one taking a turn with brush and paint. Vicki had happened to drive by just as they were painting, and told me:

   When I saw them doing that, I just started crying, going, "Gosh," you know?
   I mean, at that time, of course we weren't in the frame of mind--I wouldn't
   even have thought about it at that moment. So, they did and it made me real
   happy. I was real happy that they had done that.