Louisville  

 Sundial: 1029
State/Province:  Kentucky Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Horizontal Dial Condition:  Good
  Latitude and Longitude: 38° 14.621' N   85° 42.823' W
Location:
  • Cave Hill Cemetery
    701 Baxter Avenue
    Louisville, Kentucky 40204
    8:00 AM to 4:45 PM, 7 days a week
    Maps are available online and at the entrances to the cemetery
    The plot site is in Section 11, Lot 216
 
Description:
  • The classic brass horizontal sundial is 11 inches in diameter with a large chapter ring of Roman hours marked from VI to VI. Noon is marked by "O". However, the hour and minute lines that extend inward and run in quarter hours from 4am to 8pm. At the south end of the dial is the traditional hour glass with wings. The gnomon is also classic with a bird supporting the style. Unfortunately the dial is aligned to magnetic north. The dial sits on a thick square cap 12 x 12 x 5 inches. Beneath is a graceful round pedestal 24 inches tall that rests on a square plinth 12 x 12 x 5 inches.

    The dial is at the focus of a large family memorial to Charles H. Rae (1866-1923) and Mattie N. Rae (1869-1937). Charles was first employed as a locomotive fireman in 1882 and rose to become assistant superintendent of machinery for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. In 1937 when Mattie passed, the will of $200,000 went through a contested probate, leaving the majority of the estate to Masonic charitable institutions. Regardless of the final settlement a substantial memorial was erected around 1938 at Cave Hill Cemetery.
 
General Information:Inscription:
  • Owner: Rae Family Plot
  • On the dial face:
    GROW OLD ALONG WITH ME THE BEST IS YET TO BE

    On the memorial at top:
    UNTIL DAYBREAK AND THE SHADOWS FLEE AWAY
  • Designer: unknown
  • Builder: unknown
  • Construction Date: circa 1938
 
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Last Revised: 2021-11-10 17:55