A Morbid Fascination

Wimberly Cemetery, Glide, Oregon

2011-08-23T09:07:00.004-04:00

Photos by Squid Wizard.

Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California

2011-07-01T14:18:00.002-04:00

Photos by Squid Wizard.

Pioneer Cemetery, Kernville, California

2011-06-13T22:04:00.003-04:00

Photos by Squid Wizard

Shrine of St. Louise de Marillac, Paris

2011-06-13T22:03:00.000-04:00

Tomb of Pope Benedict XII, Avignon Cathedral

2011-06-13T22:01:00.000-04:00

Gethsemane Cemetery, Lima, Ohio

2011-06-05T13:34:00.002-04:00

Gethsemane Cemetery, Lima, Ohio

2011-05-23T16:07:00.001-04:00

Cedar Hill Cemetery, Oakland, Oregon

2011-04-22T15:14:00.002-04:00

Photos by Squid Wizard.

Pere Lachaise

2011-04-22T15:12:00.000-04:00

Excellent slide show.

Mt. Elliott Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

2011-04-10T20:10:00.000-04:00

Leland Stanford Mausoleum, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California

2011-04-10T20:07:00.001-04:00

Tomb of Pope John XXII, Avignon Cathedral

2011-04-10T20:02:00.001-04:00

Tomb of St. Genevieve, Saint-Ettiene-du-Mont, Paris

2011-03-30T18:22:00.000-04:00

Tomb of the Duc d'Arcourt, Notre Dame, Paris

2011-03-30T18:19:00.001-04:00

Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire

2011-03-30T18:16:00.000-04:00

Over the Top

2011-03-18T23:14:00.000-04:00

Another old postcard.

Tomb of the Black Prince, Canterbury Cathedral

2011-03-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

Mt. Elliott Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

2011-02-19T16:07:00.001-05:00

Riverside Cemetery, Maumee, Ohio

2011-02-19T16:01:00.000-05:00

Tomb of William, Duke of Athens, Palermo Cathedral

2011-02-19T15:59:00.000-05:00

Cemetery at Mission San Juan Capistrano, California, c1880

2011-02-19T15:56:00.000-05:00

Round and About

2011-02-19T15:43:00.003-05:00

Some interesting links, today. Catacombs under Brompton Cemetery; Victorian catacombs in South London; the crypt of St. John's Church, Waterloo; and the crypt of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch; as well as a good photo gallery of the Capuchin Crypt, in Rome.

Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

2011-01-20T19:46:00.000-05:00

Round and About

2011-01-20T19:43:00.001-05:00

An interesting post about the three private graves in Manhattan.
And a beautiful photo gallery of Memento Mori.

Riverside Cemetery, Maumee, Ohio

2011-01-03T16:57:00.005-05:00

Round and About

2011-01-03T16:41:00.002-05:00

There's a good blog post, with pictures, at Vitrearum's Church Art on the 13th century painted coffin of Walter de Grey, Archbishop of York.

And there's a well illustrated post on ossuaries at Urban Ghosts.

Oak Grove Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts

2011-01-03T16:35:00.002-05:00

Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

2010-12-14T15:59:00.000-05:00

Mt. Elliott Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

2010-12-08T22:20:00.003-05:00

Tomb of Philibert of Savoy and Margaret of Austria, Brou

2010-12-08T22:10:00.002-05:00

Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

2010-11-27T12:45:00.002-05:00

Rock Point Cemetery, Gold Hill, Oregon

2010-11-13T21:50:00.002-05:00

Photos by Squid Wizard.

An Interesting Old Postcard

2010-11-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

Mount Elliott Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

2010-11-11T11:18:00.005-05:00

Mt. Elliott Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan

2010-11-10T21:32:00.001-05:00

St. Wendelin Cemetery, Fostoria, Ohio

2010-10-30T16:21:00.002-04:00

The cross in the foreground marks the grave of John Quinn, collector and patron of the arts and literature.

Photos by Kevin Hammer

St. Roch Campo Santo Cemetery, New Orleans

2010-10-30T16:17:00.001-04:00

Laurel Cemetery, Cave Junction, Oregon

2010-10-18T13:33:00.004-04:00

Photos by Squid Wizard.

Worth Reading

2010-10-18T13:31:00.001-04:00

There's a good article about Mount Hope Cemetery, in Rochester, New York, at USA Today.

St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans

2010-10-10T18:06:00.000-04:00

Woodlawn Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio

2010-10-10T17:46:00.002-04:00

Woodlawn Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio

2010-10-04T22:11:00.002-04:00

Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans. Louisiana

2010-09-25T20:36:00.001-04:00

Campo Santo, Pisa

2010-09-25T20:33:00.000-04:00

Grave of Buffalo Bill Cody, Lookout Mountain, Colorado

2010-09-25T20:30:00.001-04:00

Rock Point Cemetery, Gold Hill, Oregon

2010-09-17T22:16:00.003-04:00

My sentiments exactly.

Photos by Squid Wizard.

Tomb of Msgr. Seraphin Bauer, St. Joseph's Cemetery, Fremont, Ohio

2010-09-17T22:10:00.001-04:00

Photos by Kevin Hammer.

Weston, Warwickshire

2010-09-12T12:20:00.000-04:00

St. Roch Cemetery, New Orleans

2010-09-12T12:18:00.001-04:00

I've been finding old postcards, cheap, on E-Bay. Expect to see them from time to time.

Tomb of Warren G. Harding, Marion, Ohio

2010-09-12T12:16:00.000-04:00

Tomb of Boethius, Pavia

2010-09-12T12:15:00.000-04:00

Mummies

2010-09-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

Interesting article, with a rather amazing picture.

2010-09-07T21:09:00.000-04:00

Woodlawn Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio

2010-09-07T21:05:00.000-04:00

Fairmount Cemetery, near Uniopolis, Ohio

2010-09-07T20:57:00.000-04:00

Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2010-09-01T12:23:00.003-04:00

Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, California

2010-09-01T12:15:00.000-04:00

Photo by Fenobarbidoll.

"Buried in Style?" WTF?

2010-09-01T12:09:00.003-04:00

In general, I don't have a problem with elaborate coffins, but this is just bloody ridiculous.

But, on the other hand, the coffin inspired furniture looks like fun. Wouldn't mind having that bookcase.

Then again, the use your own coffin as a bookcase idea doesn't impress me much. It makes one butt-ugly bookcase.

FYI

2010-09-01T12:08:00.001-04:00

I haven't forgotten about this blog, I've just been otherwise occupied. Regular posts will resume when things settle down.

Old Colony Burial Ground, Granville, Ohio

2010-08-05T22:25:00.004-04:00

Not husband and wife. Brothers apparently.

Wonderful epitaph.

Sherlock Mower. He died before Conan Doyle was born, so there's no connection to Holmes.

An Egyptian Prince Buried in Vermont

2010-08-05T21:56:00.002-04:00

I'm still fuming from this item. In fact, I'd very much like to kick Mr. George Mead's ass for him. He was a museum director who had the mummy of an Egyptian child cremated, then buried in West Cemetery, in Middlebury, Vermont. Whether Mr. Mead was an ignorant bastard or a full-scale arrogant prick is difficult to determine. Even in Mr. Mead's time, it wouldn't have required much research to realize that having one's body burned was the most terrifying fate any ancient Egyptian could have imagined. The soul's survival depended on the body's survival. What Mr. Mead did to that child was inexcusable. To add insult to injury, he even had a cross put on the tombstone.
UPDATE: Since starting this post, I did a bit more research. Mr. Mead was both an ignorant bastard AND an arrogant prick, plus a dozen other names I'm thinking of at the moment. There's more information here. While I'm at it, I'll say that the town of Middlebury, Vermont ought to be ashamed of itself for tolerating a so-called "museum" like this! The whole fucking story is sick.

More Mummies

2010-08-05T21:49:00.002-04:00

Here's an interesting article on some mummies that turned up, unexpectedly, at Vacs, Hungary, in 1994. Interesting coffins, too.

St. Matthew's Lutheran Cemetery, Cridersville, Ohio

2010-08-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

Define Your Terms

2010-08-05T21:02:00.003-04:00

Alright, people. Listen up. We've been seeing news items lately about "the remains of St. John the Baptist" being found in Bulgaria. Here's one. Now, that's not quite accurate, so I'm going to rant on the difference between "remains" and relics.
The headlines give the impression we're talking about a full body. That's not the case. It's just several bone fragments, so properly they should be saying "relics of St. John." Unfortunately, the press isn't very well versed in religious matters and wouldn't know the difference, or even in knowing there is a difference.
There are three sorts of relics. First class relics, such as the newly rediscovered fragments in Bulgaria, are actual body parts of a saint. Anything from a lock of hair to the full body. They're not worshiped or used as magic. They're simply a way of bringing great figures of the past closer to the general public. If you have a problem with that, try explaining why a fingernail clipping from Elvis Presley is likely to sell for a fortune on E-Bay. ( Though anyone who would sell a first class relic of a saint is violating canon law. ) First class relics of saints are much more common in America than most people realize. I can think of at least a dozen within five miles of the place where I'm writing this post.
A first class relic can also be a piece of the True Cross, or any item directly linked to the life of Christ. I know you're all familiar with John Calvin's remark that there are enough pieces of the True Cross to fill a ship, or to make a forest. Well, John Calvin was full of shit. All known relics of the Cross would weigh less than ten pounds. Not much when the full item would have weighed more than a hundred.
A second class relic is any item, or fragment of an item, that belonged to a saint, such as clothing. Likewise, there are more out there than most people realize. Within a few miles of where I live, you can find a fragment of one of St. Francis' habits and a zucchetto that belonged to Pope St. Piu X. A third class relic is anything, usually a piece of cloth, that has been touched to a first or second class relic. Third class relics are all over the place. In fact there are six of them within several feet of my desk. It's all simple when you bother to get your facts straight. Just don't expect the press to bother.
By the way, there's so much archaeological news coming out of Bulgaria lately that I'm starting to wonder if they're digging up the whole country.

Fair Oaks Cemetery, Sutherlin, Oregon

2010-08-05T20:53:00.000-04:00

Photo by Squid Wizard.

Maple Grove Cemetery, Granville, Ohio

2010-08-01T19:42:00.000-04:00

Alpine Cemetery, Alpine, California

2010-08-01T19:28:00.006-04:00

Poor man died too early, then, and missed the big show.

Ah, well. I'll take their word for it.

Photos by Squid Wizard.

Woodlawn Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio

2010-07-17T17:48:00.000-04:00

St. Joseph's Cemetery, Erie, Michigan

2010-07-17T17:46:00.000-04:00

Maple Grove Cemetery, Granville, Ohio

2010-07-14T14:13:00.000-04:00

Old Colony Burial Ground, Granville, Ohio

2010-07-14T14:09:00.000-04:00

Springfield Township Cemetery, near Holland, Ohio

2010-07-14T14:03:00.001-04:00

Looks like Thurber's work.

Watch Your Step

2010-07-14T13:53:00.002-04:00

An amateur actress managed to find a previously unknown burial vault under the Church of St. Mary, in Redgrave, Suffolk. Here's the story.

Taking "Cold Cases" a Bit Far

2010-07-14T13:48:00.002-04:00

Forensic examination of remains from the Medici Tombs has proven that Francesco I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and his wife Bianca Cappello, died of malaria, just as their doctors said, and not from poison as the usual backbiters insisted. Here's the story.

Old Colony Burial Ground, Granville, Ohio

2010-07-13T14:42:00.003-04:00

Maple Grove Cemetery, Granville, Ohio

2010-07-13T14:27:00.002-04:00

Yes, Victorian taste could be decidedly creepy.

Green Funerals

2010-07-13T14:25:00.001-04:00

Good idea. Far too much money is wasted on all the nonsense marketed by "funeral homes".

Sailor Pioneer-Noti Cemetery, Elmira, Oregon

2010-07-11T18:46:00.004-04:00

Interest is added to this cemetery by a large plot dedicated to the Free Souls Motorcycle Club.

Here's a different one. The whole thing's metal.

WTF?

Photos by Squid Wizard.

Old Colony Burial Ground, Granville, Ohio

2010-07-10T18:51:00.006-04:00

Maple Grove Cemetery, Granville, Ohio

2010-07-10T18:40:00.001-04:00

That appears to be a death mask.

Old Colony Burial Ground, Granville, Ohio

2010-07-08T22:21:00.009-04:00

St. Peter's Churchyard, near Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

2010-07-06T13:17:00.000-04:00

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, San Gabriel, California

2010-07-06T13:13:00.001-04:00

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Coming Soon

2010-07-06T13:05:00.003-04:00

I have pictures from what may be the most interesting cemetery in Ohio, but I'm house-sitting and won't be able to deal with them until I'm back at my own computer. Expect them by Thursday.

Why?

2010-07-06T13:00:00.003-04:00

I really don't recommend clicking on this link, but if anyone out there has a strong stomach and reads Arabic, perhaps they can tell me why anyone would make a time-lapse video of a corpse decomposing? I'd like to know just what the bloody hell would motivate such a thing. BTW, I only held out for six out of ten minutes, so you can be damn sure it's bad.

Civil Bend Cemetery, Winston, Oregon

2010-06-29T20:26:00.008-04:00

The carving on this one's particularly interesting.

"She hath done what she could." Good epitaph.

I have to wonder if he was named for the other one, Cecil Rhodes?
They really did a good job with this.

These people seem to have a fetish for lists, and that's meant as a compliment. I wish more cemeteries did this sort of thing.

If he was an "unbelievably wonderful husband, dad, and grandpa" he had nothing to be forgiven for. Then again, no one ever said Evangelical Protestantism was capable of rational thought.
Photos by Squid Wizard. ( What can I say? The kid's good. )

Just Bloody Awful

2010-06-29T20:19:00.002-04:00

This sort of thing is an ongoing problem with most forms of Protestantism. The Lutherans and Anglicans have produced good architecture, decent paintings, and truly great music. The Methodists have managed decent hymns. The rest of Protestantism is an artistic wasteland.

Association Cemetery, Sylvania, Ohio

2010-06-29T01:53:00.000-04:00

What A Way To Go

2010-06-29T01:51:00.002-04:00

Just look. You wouldn't believe it if I told you.

St. Joseph's Cemetery, Erie, Michigan

2010-06-29T01:11:00.006-04:00

Fair Oaks Cemetery, Sutherlin, Oregon

2010-06-27T18:39:00.005-04:00

Photos by Squid Wizard.

Springfield Township Cemetery, near Holland, Ohio

2010-06-27T18:28:00.003-04:00

Grove City Cemetery, Blackfoot, Idaho

2010-06-27T18:18:00.003-04:00

Photos by Fenobarbidoll.

FYI

2010-06-27T18:16:00.001-04:00

Due to an increase in spam, I've started moderating comments. Just send them through and I'll approve them when I post.

Valley View Cemetery, Sutherlin, Oregon

2010-06-24T16:44:00.005-04:00

Neither the photographer nor I have any idea what the fuck this was all about.

Photos by Squid Wizard.

Springfield Township Cemetery, near Holland, Ohio

2010-06-22T19:52:00.009-04:00

Not sure what happened here. The statue was some sort of thick, heavy plaster-like substance over a concrete core. No idea why it was painted black. Somehow, about half of the surface managed to come off.

I.O.O.F Cemetery, Lorane, Oregon

2010-06-18T23:42:00.004-04:00

EPUD? WTF?
Photos by Squid Wizard.

Grove City Cemetery, Blackfoot, Idaho

2010-06-18T23:36:00.000-04:00

Photos by Fenobarbidoll.

The Mystery of Germany's Aristocratic Mummies

2010-06-18T23:28:00.003-04:00

Very interesting article at Der Spiegel. I disagree, however, with the suggestion that, since they're mostly in Protestant areas, that it may be due to a fear of not being able to be resurrected if their bodies rotted. I'd just chalk it up to simple vanity combined with the fact that the wealthy had more control over church matters in Protestant areas.

Comstock Cemetery, Curtin, Oregon

2010-06-14T23:20:00.007-04:00

Photos by Squid Wizard, who really outdid himself on this lot.