Doesn't really answer the question of why that style of grave was used, but this 2011 newsletter from the cemetery has a fair amount of info on the bathtub graves.
http://www.elmwood...es/Fall%202011.pdf From the Cradle to the Grave
By Jorja Frazier
The expression “from cradle to grave” refers to the beginning and the end of life. However, at Elmwood sometimes it is more like from cradle to cradle. Visitors to Elmwood frequently ask our staff about the grave markers they see all around the cemetery that look like “bathtubs.” What are they, and what do they mean? These oval enclosures that resemble bathtubs come in different sizes and in doubles and triples. Some are beautifully carved marble, and many have various Victorian symbols added to them. Most date from after the Civil War into the early twentieth century. We call them bathtubs because they are shaped like a bathtub, but they belong to a monument style more commonly referred to as cradles or bed gravestone enclosures. A low stone curbing can enclose an entire lot or just one individual grave.
Cradle enclosures resemble a cradle with no rockers and are usually rectangular in shape with a headstone, footstone, and sides reminiscent of a 19th century bed with headboard, siderails, and footboard evoking eternal rest. One source suggests their use was influenced by their popularity in Europe. The “bathtub” markers here at Elmwood are made of one piece of individually carved marble or stone often supported on a flat oval marble base with holes or a long slot cut through the center to provide drainage for planting flowers or ivy in the center. Elmwood has more of these bathtub enclosures than many other cemeteries.
In the Victorian era, families regularly visited the cemetery and tended their family’s graves. Without this constant attention, growing plants in these enclosures is a challenge. The most successful plantings are ivy and evergreen bushes, although both of these can overtake the monument if not trimmed regularly. The dirt within the enclosure tends to dry out quickly, and flowers that are not regularly watered soon die. This is why so many are now empty. Today, the grounds maintenance is the job of the superintendent and his crew who spend most of their time mowing and weed-eating around the thousands of markers that cover Elmwood Cemetery. They trim the grass around the bathtubs and any growing inside.
Although some bathtubs mark the grave of an adult, many are for children. The most frequently used Victorian symbols seen on these are the lamb symbolizing innocence and the dove symbolizing purity and peace. Volunteers Patrick Whitney and Cathi Johnson have been working diligently in the Chapel Hill Public Lot 3 Children’s Section photographing, documenting, and restoring the monuments erected for the children buried there in the late 1800s. Many of the markers there are small bathtubs. This new inventory by Patrick has helped locate and identify markers, and Cathi has raised and restored many that sank below the ground over the years. Because the bathtubs are extremely fragile and break easily, Cathi works under the direction of Superintendent Todd Fox. The results are illustrated in the before and after photos below. Many thanks to Patrick and Cathi for their dedication and hard work that is making this section a special place in Elmwood.
