Harte Cenotaph by Alexander Stirling Calder c. 1905

The "Calder Cross" is an Celtic, or Irish, cross. It is made of marble and is approximately eight feet tall. It was commissioned in 1905 by Dr. Richard H. Harte to honor his father, William Hickman Harte, a naval officer who died fighting in the civil war.

The imagery on this cross has symbolic meaning. Examples of the symbolism include: the cross itself is fairly well accepted as a symbol of sacrifice, more specifically Christ's sacrifice and the hope of salvation. The ship may be a reference to Harte's naval career, but could also reflect aspects of Christianity, specifically Noah's Ark and the apostles' boat that Jesus saved by calming the waves on the sea of Galilee. This seems to convey feelings of "save journey" for the departed soul. The anchor is a Christian symbol for steadfastness and hope. It is also the symbol associated with St. Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of sailors. The three-leaf clover symbolizes the Christian Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost). Items associated with the number three generally have this same meaning, such as the three candles.

Born in 1870, Calder studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts before moving on to the Academie Julian and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Both his father and his son were also artists. His son, Alexander, created the mobile.