Do you ever walk in Cemeteries??

keets

Perhaps it sounds morbid, but do you ever walk in Cemeteries?? Being collectors of Historical Artifacts, it almost makes sense that it would be something a Numismatist would do.

My Grandfather died when I was 12 years old and I have fond memories of visiting and walking with Gramps up to the Cemetery close to where he lived. Back then it was almost like a stroll through the woods because I had no acquaintance with death. We'd walk the roads and get to the back of the Cemetery where the train tracks and rapid-transit were located. As a grown man and well acquainted with the passing of family and friends I've been to my fair share of graveyards. Today they are still a peaceful place.

The Village where I live has a Cemetery about half-a-mile from my home. Believe it or not, my home is actually the old address and location of the first Cemetery in the Village, starting around 1817. It was moved to the new location sometime between 1854-1870, the house I live in being constructed in 1880. I like to walk my dogs at the new location, it's safe and they can run without a leash as "daddy-dog" looks at the old headstones. That's where the coin collector history link comes in. Since we study dates and events that took place relevant to the coins/paper/medals we collect, I find myself noting what took place when so-and-so was either born or died.

For instance, the other day I noticed a headstone with the date of death as July 25th, 1825. I immediately though of the Erie Canal which was completed a few months later and wondered if the old man resting here had been aware of it. It also struck me that although there are some old trees dotting the grounds, none were there when he was "planted" almost 200 years ago(though that was originally at a different location). Another thing that catches my interest is the names that were common 100-200 years ago but now never used.

Below are a few pictures I took in a Cemetery north of Albany, New York along the Hudson River. We noticed it a few years back on a trip up to Lock #1 of the Erie Canal, then stopped on our way back to Albany. There were graves dating to the late 1600's, no doubt holding safe the remains of pioneers who helped found America. That fascinates me!! So I'll ask again --- Do you walk in Cemeteries?? Do you feel the link to History when you do??

Al H.

Smudge

Interesting how in very old graveyards there are so many infant and very young kid’s graves. Some just baby girl Smith or baby boy Jones. Different times. I have metal detected old church grounds, but not graveyards.

1630Boston

They are peaceful @keets
I've spent many hours in them since I was a child.
At age 8 or so I helped dig graves and over the years we've done many gravestone 'rubbings' of our family dating back to the early 1700's. Haven't done one yet from the 1600's.
There not as creepy as people think.

CaptHenway

Back when I was more agile I sometimes did. Loved to look at the inscriptions. Saw one about five miles west of Sidney, Ohio with a woman's name and birth and death dates and this two-line inscription at the bottom:

"THIS STONE WAS ERECTED IN HER MEMORY AND PAID FOR BY HER SON AFTER HER DAUGHTER SQUANDERED ALL HER MOTHER'S MONEY!"

Bet those family gatherings were a lot of fun!

mcarney1173

Reminds me of one of my favorites in Philadelphia - Laurel Hill/West Laurel Hill Cemetery. I'm sure many others here appreciate the art and architecture of cemeteries and this one in particular has numerous walking and biking trails established within the property. Here are a few photos (not mine)

WildIdea

Neatest one I ever walked through was on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

JBK

I used to work in one! We cut a lot of grass and occasionally dug a hole.

A few people from a nearby office would go for a walk on their lunch break. One young lady used to park in a far corner of one section (there were no stones in that area yet) and strip down to her bikini and lay on the hood of her car during lunch.

MFeld

Wrong forum - you might try here: https://www.findagraveforums.com/forum/21-cemetery-and-research/

😉

USMarine6

When I was 9 or 10 every Halloween after trick or treating a buddy of mine and myself would always go to the graveyard down the street and pick up all the potted flowers that had fallen over. I have no Idea why we did it. just one of things of stupid things you do as a kid I guess.

koynekwest

I have but due to physical limitations not for a while. There's a beautiful one in Kent, OH called Standing Rock on the Cuyahoga River where many of my relatives are buried, including my parents, sister, and grandparents.

I don't know if I'd want to walk thru one at night, tho.

amwldcoin

They are creepy! When I was young I can remember walking around the old cemetery in Roswell,Ga. where the Roswell King was buried. The cemetery was not well kept at the time and some of the graves were all but exposed. We would get the creeps and go running!

cmerlo1

Sometimes, especially when they're famous movie locations. This is Baghdad Cemetery in Leander, TX:

And the opening shot from the 1974 movie, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre':

cmerlo1

@koynekwest said:
I have but due to physical limitations not for a while. There's a beautiful one in Kent, OH called Standing Rock on the Cuyahoga River where many of my relatives are buried, including my parents, sister, and grandparents.

I don't know if I'd want to walk thru one at night, tho.

My grandparents are buried in Kent. Not sure which cemetary, though.

Jimnight

Hell No!

Pickwickjr

Actually I planned on walking through one tomorrow with my daughter. Sometimes on my lunch break I walk through The Grove Street cemetery .Check out the website. Eli Whitney, Charles Goodyear are a few that are in there. That’s after we watch a house being moved down the street tomorrow. Than some Modern Pizza, looking forward to a great day with my daughter. Pictures to follow.

Namvet69

I've always felt that using a dedicated plot of land to bury a body is a weird cultural thing. Not to mention the erected objects of all sorts. Me I'm donating my vessel to science and organ harvesting to help someone else. Now back to my coins. Peace Roy

WillieBoyd2

Oakland California's Mountain View Cemetery during the "Egyptian" period:

I have some relatives residing at this cemetery.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

DNADave

They make good neighbors ! I have an old country graveyard right behind my house. Many with nothing more than a rock at head and at the foot.

I walk through it all the time when I go up on the hill to shoot or go hunting.
Sometimes I’ll go up there and sit in an old chair leaned up against a tree and smoke cigar, just thinking about it all.

I might as well walk up there and take a pic.

koynekwest

@cmerlo1 said:

@koynekwest said:
I have but due to physical limitations not for a while. There's a beautiful one in Kent, OH called Standing Rock on the Cuyahoga River where many of my relatives are buried, including my parents, sister, and grandparents.

I don't know if I'd want to walk thru one at night, tho.

My grandparents are buried in Kent. Not sure which cemetary, though.

Interesting!

Elcontador1

I used to run on footpaths in cemeteries on occasion as part of my workout. Nice place to be alone with my thoughts while getting in the miles. Ed Whitlock, the late 70 year old plus marathon record holder, did his daily workouts running in cemeteries.

1Mike1

SaorAlba

@WildIdea said:
Neatest one I ever walked through was on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

If you go off the beaten path on the island there are a couple of smaller cemeteries, the one I found most interesting was the military cemetery that was rather back from the fort. I had to get there by bike of course. There is also a small cemetery where the Battle of Mackinaw Island was fought in the middle of the island, it has the soldiers who died in that battle ca. 1814.

A sad fact is that 98% of people that visit Mackinaw Island never leave the fudge shop tourist ticky tacky town or the bike path around the island. There are a great many things to see and do if you are the 2% like me.

Cameonut

Not very often. Last time was a decade ago in Owosso Michigan. That is where Felix Schlag is buried. Here are a few photos.

3stars

In the history of humans there have been approximately 65 billion people, but there are only around 800 million marked graves. So 64.2 billion unaccounted for corpses out there somewhere buried (but mostly decomposed)

kiyote

I participate in cleanup days at a nearby historical cemetery in Santa Cruz. It really is pretty amazing to look at the gravestones of this first settlers. A fair amount were born in the late 1700s

Walkerfan

I agree that they can be peaceful and beautiful places...

BUT, the older I get the more I am depressed by them.

I go there, once in a while, with family and friends to visited our dearly departed.

However, I don't go on a regular basis.

I would rather walk/run in a park or woods.

SiriusBlack

Nope. Never.

airplanenut

No, but I’ve enjoyed the history of what I’ve seen on occasion from outside the fence, like the graves dating to the 1600s in Harvard Square. Or this one across the street from the Mint in Philly.

johnny9434

I always liked walking thru a cemetery. Nothing wrong with it

keets

So 64.2 billion unaccounted for corpses out there somewhere buried (but mostly decomposed)

this made me think of everyone who died while crossing the unsettled Plains and Mountains in the USA. countless thousands were buried, read over and left behind. kind of sad when you think of it. as a point of reference, look at the Oregon Trail Commemorative Half-Dollar and consider how many died making that journey.

Baley

@johnny9434 said:
I always liked walking thru a cemetery. Nothing wrong with it

I prefer to walk past them too... whistling.

Nice posts Keets and others

bidask

@keets said:
So 64.2 billion unaccounted for corpses out there somewhere buried (but mostly decomposed)

this made me think of everyone who died while crossing the unsettled Plains and Mountains in the USA. countless thousands were buried, read over and left behind. kind of sad when you think of it. as a point of reference, look at the Oregon Trail Commemorative Half-Dollar and consider how many died making that journey.

Hey go buy a metal detector and walk those trails

amwldcoin

You wanna see old. Go inside the church inside the Kremlin. I'm trying to remember how old some off the tombs were...12th century?

keets

Go inside the church inside the Kremlin.

a more realistic and similar search could probably be done in almost any European Nation. Britain would be a good place to start.

BTW, Cameonut, that Felix Schlag headstone is uber-cool.

Nysoto

My quest to find the grave of Robert Scot, first chief engraver of the US Mint, started with a search for his burial record. Scot was a member of the Religious Society of Free Quakers, who were disowned by the Philadelphia Quakers for their support of the American Revolution. The Free Quaker records reside at the American Philosophical Society, and I found Scot's burial record at the "Free Friends Graveyard" at Fifth and Prune (now Locust) Street. That cemetery sold to developers in 1905, and the Free Quaker graves were moved to a site adjacent to the John J. Audubon estate.

More searching through the Free Quaker records uncovered a photo of the Robert Scot family tombstone with Robert, wife Eunice, and daughter Sophia buried there. Next was a search for the cemetery, which I did during the 2012 ANA Convention at Philadelphia. Rented a car, drove past Valley Forge to the Audubon estate. The cemetery is not marked from the street, a good thing to prevent vandalism. Some inquiry to the location was a trail through woods. There is a record of Scot's grave being moved there, but unfortunately the condition of the grave markers was very poor with names eroded off, and I did not find the exact location of the Scot grave. However, it was great to find a photo of the Scot tombstone, and the cemetery where Scot is interred:

NewEnglandNotes

One of my favorite things to do.

silverpop

sometimes i do checking on family graves seeing if they need fixing or something and paying my respects

JBK

The blurry stones are marble. I am sure they looked nice when new but they do not age well.

Slate takes a nice sharp design and keeps looking good except that it can split into layers.

Nothing beats polished granite.

shorecoll

You see a lot of children's graves in rural cemeteries (plus cemeteries from plague years). In my family, the old-timers tried to have at least a dozen children (farm-hands), because they expected at least half to die in childhood. Our ancestral lands are almost gone from the family because there were too many generations where too many children survived. That's likely where the tradition of all inheritance going to the first-born male child came from.

Klif50

I have worked on my family tree for the last 30 years. One of the things I've been able to do is to find and photograph the headstones for about 90% of my ancestors. I've added them to my Ancestry Family Tree and enjoy looking at them. Many of the men were Masons and the ladies Eastern Star. The oldest headstone is of Posey Newton Brown who died in 1818. He is buried in the MaClarty/Brown Cemetery in Douglasville, GA. The small family cemetery is well off the road, back in the woods. I am the last of the line and I am no longer able to keep the place up. The county does some work there but they have been slack due to the pandemic. It is very interesting to visit the graveyards and to sit and ponder among the dead as you listen to the wind whistle through the trees. I always bring a flashlight because I always get lost trying to make my way back to the road and it always gets dark before I get out.

I was stationed in England from 1973 - 1976 and we used to visit the big churches and make wax rubbings of the markers there. It was a big hobby back then to make the rubbings and then have them mounted and framed.

For myself I won't go into the ground. I have pre-arranged my cremation. At my age there are no useful organs to donate and I'd rather not take up space or spend the big money on a regular funeral.

amwldcoin

Now that is close to home! I had no idea Douglasville had graves that old. I'd be willing to go give it a look for you if you wish.

@Klif50 said:
I have worked on my family tree for the last 30 years. One of the things I've been able to do is to find and photograph the headstones for about 90% of my ancestors. I've added them to my Ancestry Family Tree and enjoy looking at them. Many of the men were Masons and the ladies Eastern Star. The oldest headstone is of Posey Newton Brown who died in 1818. He is buried in the MaClarty/Brown Cemetery in Douglasville, GA. The small family cemetery is well off the road, back in the woods. I am the last of the line and I am no longer able to keep the place up. The county does some work there but they have been slack due to the pandemic. It is very interesting to visit the graveyards and to sit and ponder among the dead as you listen to the wind whistle through the trees. I always bring a flashlight because I always get lost trying to make my way back to the road and it always gets dark before I get out.

I was stationed in England from 1973 - 1976 and we used to visit the big churches and make wax rubbings of the markers there. It was a big hobby back then to make the rubbings and then have them mounted and framed.

For myself I won't go into the ground. I have pre-arranged my cremation. At my age there are no useful organs to donate and I'd rather not take up space or spend the big money on a regular funeral.

asheland

I like them too, especially the older ones. There’s a nice one near my house, I was there somewhat recently.

BLUEJAYWAY

My 3 contributions. 1)When I was young one of my first jobs was in a cemetery for the summer. Grave digging etc. Very depressing when the first thing in the morning you were within distance to hear the service/crying etc. Waiting for all to leave so we could fill in the grave. With above ground vaults one must remember to remove the plugs in the crypt area, to allow for the drainage of any body fluids that may may leak out of the casket. 2)We had a cemetery near us. Way back when a local nutcase decided to, on occasion, dress up as Dracula at night and hide out in the cemetery behind the headstones. He knew many of us used it as a shortcut to a neighboring street. Spooked many of us. 3)Coin related. When visiting the family plots I notice a few graves that have coins left on the markers. And the occasional empty Jack Daniels bottle.

air4mdc

Growing up my mom, grandma and aunts would always walk us through cemeteries. Two of my favorites are Forest Lawn where all the movie stars are buried and of course, Arlington.

1960NYGiants

Yes, I do - every December to lay wreaths at the Veterans' Cemetery where my parents are buried. Dad served in Korea.

In 2015, I visited Halifax, Nova Scotia. Walked the cemetery where some of the Titanic victims are buried.

1northcoin

A very interesting thread.

Some years ago I was in Philadelphia on business. I happened to stop and look at a small fenced plot of ground filled with gravestones close to the mint. A few hours later I was on board my airplane departing from the airport and the inflight movie happened to be one of the National Treasure films featuring Nicolas Cage.. As I watched, the very cemetery I had visited that same day appeared in the movie and Nicolas Cage's character jumped over the fence and was running through it as I best recall.

On another occasion I returned to a cemetery I had visited in Germany which had been introduced to me by a now deceased relative many years prior who had taken me there to show me the graves of some of my ancestors. On my return however, those markers no longer were there. I learned that in Europe it is customary to replace buried persons as time goes on.

ricko

There are a few, very old grave yards here.... One old one was used in the movie 'Night of the Living Dead'....When hunting in the mountains, I have come across a couple of old 'family' plots...from the early 1700's... Headstones usually lying down and barely readable. For myself, I will go out in a blaze of glory... no plot, headstone, elaborate box....Used to walk around cemeteries... was always amazed at the elaborate mausoleums and towering stones...Did not understand it then and still don't. Dead is dead. Cheers, RickO

Exbrit

@amwldcoin said:
You wanna see old. Go inside the church inside the Kremlin. I'm trying to remember how old some off the tombs were...12th century?

Along with all of the icons hanging on the walls - something spectacular to see.

jafo50

The local cemeteries in my area hand out maps of where famous people are buried so those walking the grounds can find them. Some of the graves have 'mementos' place on them by the public. For example Babe Ruth's headstone has an assortment of baseballs and other trinkets laid on it.

TwoSides2aCoin

Not me, bro. I'm more a "drive-by" guy. Am certain to be parked at one , some day.