Improved Order of Red Men

The Improved Order of Red Men is a fraternal organization that traces its origins to pre-Revolutionary War patriotic societies like the Sons of Liberty, who were responsible for the Boston Tea Party. The name was changed to the Society of Red Men after the War of 1812, and to the Improved Order of Red Men in 1834. They use some customs and symbols of Native Americans. Today they are a patriotic fraternal organization that promotes freedom, friendship and charity. In cemeteries you will usually see an Indian head symbol like the example here, or an Eagle. The letters TOTE stand for Totem of the Eagle. The female auxiliary of the Red Men is called the Degree of Pocahontas, which was founded in 1885.

Photo: from the headstone of John Z. Oak (1881-1918), Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado

All-Seeing Eye – Eye of Providence

The all-seeing eye, also called the Eye of Providence or Eye of God, has origins dating back to the Eye of Horus in Egyptian mythology. It has been adopted as part of the Great Seal of the United States, which shows the all-seeing eye floating on top of a pyramid. This can be seen on the back of the one dollar bill. It is often associated with conspiracy theories involving UFOs, the Illuminati or Freemasonry. It is also featured in the 2004 Disney film, National Treaure, and in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy as the Eye of Sauron.

In cemeteries the all-seeing eye symbol is usually found associated with Freemasonry or the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, like the example here. The letters F, L and T inside the chain links stand for Friendship, Love, and Truth.

Photo: Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado

Dollar Sign – IHS

This symbol, which looks like a dollar sign ($), is actually the letters I, H, and S superimposed over each other. These represent the Greek letters Iota (Ι), Eta (Η) and Sigma (Σ), which are the first three letters of Jesus in Greek. See IHS Monogram for more information.

Photo: from the grave marker of Atala Blow Noble (1862-1909) and Louis S. Noble (1865-1934), Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado