This practice must always result in distracting the attention from the solemn services of the grave, in exciting painful anxiety for the living and the dead, and sometimes in accidents agonising to the mourners and appalling to the spectators. Many early graves were marked with wooden head and footboards, which deteriorated over time. The grave markers in Old City Cemetery are memorials to those buried here. They are also artistic expressions that reflect changing cultural attitudes toward death and resurrection. The early markers that have survived are of marble and usually have simple designs and inscriptions that express grief and mourning.
Later markers reflect the Victorian period's interest in classical art and architecture.
Unfortunately, because of the difficulty and expense of maintaining and repairing these historic markers, no stone rubbings are permitted in Old City Cemetery. City of Tallahassee, Florida.