If you have ever taken up genealogy, you will know that an incredible amount of history and heritage is to be found on the stones of cemeteries. Also, some cemeteries were built in picturesque natural settings, taking advantage of scenic highlights and prominent landscape features. The following are a few of the most beautiful resting places.
Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia: Established in 1849, this tranquil place of rolling hills and winding roads sits on a bluff overlooking the James River. As you travel its narrow roads, the graves seem tucked into the hillsides as if the land were actually protecting the stones. The view over the James River would command a large price if a home had been built in this location. It is the resting place of two former presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler. It also holds a ninety-foot tall stone pyramid, built in 1869, as a memorial to more than 18,000 confederate soldiers who are buried here.
Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia: Made famous by John Berendt’s book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” this cemetery is known for its huge live oak trees, draped with Spanish moss, lining the driveways. Some of the trees have been documented as more than 250 years old. This cemetery also sits on a bluff, this one overlooking the Wilmington River. The land was purchased from the Tatnall family and the site was designed around the ruins of the Tatnall mansion and opened for burials in 1847. Interments include poet Conrad Aiken and songwriter Johnny Mercer.
Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri: Like many cities in the nineteenth century, St. Louis realized that their old cemeteries would soon be in the way of urban development, since they were located in the center of the city. New property was purchased just outside the city and a new cemetery begun in 1849. The planners hired landscape architect Almerin Hotchkiss, who would design the gently curving roadways with views of lakes and trees and who would remain as the cemetery’s superintendent for the next forty-six years. Notable interments include William Clark, the partner of Meriweather Lewis in the exploration of the west, and Adolphus Busch, co-founder of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company.
Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Founded in 1831, this cemetery has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. Adorned with more than 5,000 trees and more than 30,000 monuments, including excellent examples of the work of America’s first generation of sculptors, this is more than cemetery; it is also parkland. Many people who visit come to see the trees and plantings, and not just the graves. Some of the famous burials include artist Winslow Homer, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and photography pioneer Edwin Land.
St. Louis Cemetery #1, New Orleans, Louisiana: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and opened in 1789, this cemetery earns its nickname of “city of the dead” from the fanciful and architecturally elaborate above-ground tombs. Although popular fiction has it that these tombs are elevated due to a shallow water table, it’s more likely to be because this burial style was typical of the Spanish and French cultures whose citizens populated New Orleans in the early days. As you stroll down the narrow paths between the tombs, you will note a myriad of small details that make each structure stand apart from its neighbor. Noted burials include Jean Etienne DeBore, the man who pioneered the cultivation of sugar cane in the south, and Benjamin Latrobe, one of America’s earliest architects and engineers.
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia: For Americans, perhaps no place is so evocative of the sacrifices of brave men and women on behalf of this country as Arlington Cemetery. The ceremonial changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns is almost guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of the observer, watching the sentinels of the 3rd U.S. Infantry go through their solemn ritual in respect for the fallen. The thousands of identical gravestones set in measured rows over the rolling hills are a potent reminder of the cost of war. Since its establishment in 1864, more than 300,000 individuals have been interred here. Located here also, of course, is the grave of John F. Kennedy, lit by the eternal flame. This is a place of great beauty and great sadness.
Whether you are interested in history or horticulture, these carefully designed resting places are serene and lovely niches amid the hectic pace of modern life. Any one of them is well worth a visit.