Woodman of the World-Globe, Arizona

Woodman of the World (W.O.W) is one of many fraternal organizations that have designated areas of a graveyard as sections to, "bury their own". Usually, a member of this organization will have a headstone in the shape of tree stumps. Not in this case, though. The Higdon's gravestone appears to be a huge stone with the headstone marker carved into the rock where they rest in Globe, Arizona. The insignia of the W.O.W includes the maul, wedge, axe, dove of peace and their motto in Latin, dum tacet clamat, "though silent, he speaks".

Joseph Cullen Root founded W.O.W. in Omaha, NB in 1890. It's a non-profit financial organization that provides insurance services to it's members....members being the operative word. In addition to insurance, various programs are available to it's senior citizens, a youth program, and a disaster relief program, among others. They made a controversial but profitible decision to invest in radio stations and have built some of the tallest buildings in Omaha. A significant benefit to it's membership was the distinctive tree stump gravestone. This benefit deemed too costly was abandoned in the 1920's, but hundreds of them can be seen in cemeteries across the country.

If you would like to view some excellent examples of the tree stump monument, visit this website where there are over 2300 shown: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~langolier/woodmen.htmlpages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~langolier/woodmen.html.