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| Francis M. Drake |
Obelisks (four-sided columns topped by pyramids) are among the most familiar shapes in older Iowa cemeteries, reflecting a 19th century cultural fascination with all things Egyptian sometimes called "Egyptomania."
In ancient Egypt, the obelisk was a religious symbol; elsewhere, not so much --- more a symbol of power and importance when very large and erected to mark the final resting place of (or to commemorate) someone --- generally male --- considered to be of considerable significance.
The world's tallest obelisk, erected 1848-1888, is the Washington Monument. It was, briefly, the world's tallest man-made structure (at 555 feet) until displaced by the Eiffel Tower. Smaller versions sprang up to commemorate lesser luminaries, too, as the 19th century marched into the 20th.
Brig. Gen. Francis Marion Drake, Iowa's 16th governor, rests near the tallest obelisk in the five counties I'm most familiar with --- Lucas, Wayne, Appanoose, Monroe and Marion. It towers above everything else in Centerville's Oakland Cemetery. Elsewhere in Centerville you'll find Drake Avenue and the magnificent Francis M. Drake Public Library, among his many gifts to his hometown.
Drake University in Des Moines, which he was instrumental in founding and endowing, is probably his most widely known beneficence. Drakesville, in Davis County, was founded by his father.
If you'd like to read more about Drake, follow this link.
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