With Halloween (October 31), All Souls’ Day (November 2), and the Day of the Dead (extending from Halloween through All Saints’ day on November 1 through All Souls’ Day on November 2 or so) fast approaching, a trip to a graveyard seems particularly worthwhile if you happen to be ever-so-slightly interested in the phenomenon known as cemetery tourism. There is much to be learned at these places, about how people lived and even how they viewed death. Some headstones are humorous, others not nearly so much.
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Some might feel uncomfortable visiting a graveyard whose inhabitants they never knew. Not me. Cemeteries can be great places for quiet contemplation any time of year. After all, we’ll all be in one, or at least become part of the Earth, someday. Here are some of my all-time favorite graveyards that seem particularly pertinent to visit at this time of year.
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St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, La.
There is so much that is surreal going on in New Orleans that it is no surprise that the dead would want to be part of the party. The red Xs scratched on the stones frightened me the first time I visited St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, but that was back in the days when intimidating figures also lurked there. Now, a tour guide is required, perhaps giving all sorts of souls a sense of ease. The cemetery is still worth visiting.
Who to Look For
The tomb to look for is the one belonging to voodoo queen Marie Laveau.
Where Is St. Louis Cemetery No. 1?
425 Basin Street, New Orleans, La. 70112
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Key West Cemetery, Key West, Fla.
The Key West Cemetery is both full of life and of decay. Roosters, iguanas, and other animals mingle with crumbling tombs succumbing to time and rugged weather.
What to Look For
Illustrious residents whose names are affiliated with Key West sites are found in abundance here (look for Mallory, Curry, and “Sloppy” Joe Russell). Also interesting is the USS Maine monument. History-minded visitors might remember that the destruction of the ship in Havana Harbor triggered the United States war with Spain.
Where Is Key West Cemetery?
Key West Cemetery, 701 Pauline Street, Key West, Fla. 33040
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Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
Washington Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” tends to be quite popular in this particular part of New York state, and references to the headless horseman abound. Author Irving is buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, but the graveyard is packed with other notables as well.
What to Look For
In addition to Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow’s famous inhabitants include Leona Helmsley (known as the “Queen of Mean” to some) along with her husband Harry, Brooke Astor (a philanthropist whose son took a bit of advantage of her in her later years), Walter Chrysler (of the Chrysler Chryslers—think automobiles and the Chrysler building in Manhattan), and cosmetics queen Elizabeth Arden.
Where Is Sleepy Hollow Cemetery?
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, 540 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. 10591
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Cimetière du Père Lachaise, Paris, France
“Why do Americans make such a big deal about Jim Morrison?” a Frenchman asked me as I was standing over Morrison’s grave in Cimetière due Père Lachaise in Paris. Truth be told, I don’t really know. Is it just because he happens to be here–and in something of a very humble space?
What to Look For
This particular cemetery, full of notables, is notoriously difficult to navigate; freelance tour guides often offer their services to the hordes of bewildered tourists seeking to find their way.
Any list of inhabitants of Père Lachaise would no doubt be incomplete. Personal favorites, in addition to the grave of musician Jim Morrison, include Colette, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and Marcel Marceau. Also look for names like Rothschild and Bugatti.
Where Is Cimetière du Père Lachaise?
Cimetière du Père Lachaise, 16 Rue du Repos, 75020 Paris, France
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Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris, France
Visitors to the Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris cannot help but notice the prime real estate it commands in one of the world’s more expensive cities. Situated near the Paris Catacombs—where plenty of other dead were, essentially, stacked in underground tunnels because burial grounds were just taking up too much space—the cemetery actually helps visitors make sense of what they will see should they head underground to those catacombs.
What to Look For
Notables interred at Montparnasse Cemetery include Guy de Maupassant, Susan Sontag, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Charles Baudelaire.
Where Is Montparnasse Cemetery?
Cimetière Montparnasse, 3 Boulevard Edgar Quinet, 75014 Paris, France
6. Jones Family Cemetery, Colonial Williamsburg, Va.
This small family cemetery in Colonial Williamsburg, Va. is memorable for me because I happened to visit it on a dark and quiet night—it is where a ghost tour of the area ended. The youthful adventurer and I took photos of the graveyard with our then-rudimentary digital cameras, and multiple orbs appeared in the pictures. It turns out we were not alone in seeing what some believe are representations of ghostly spirits.
What to Look For
My understanding is that orbs are invisible to the naked eye, but a camera can record them. Click away!
Where Is the Jones Family Cemetery?
Jones Family Cemetery, Colonial Williamsburg, Va. 23185
7. Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Ga.
So much of Savannah seems ever-so-slightly haunted, that much more so in the cemetery made famous by publication of John Berendt’s book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Once home to the Bird Girl statue (which now can be found in the Telfair Museums) pictured on the book’s cover, this hauntingly beautiful cemetery—replete with Spanish most and plenty of mist, at least in my memory—is still worth a visit.
What to Look For
Songwriter Johnny Mercer is buried here. Another popular gravesite is that of Little Gracie Watson, who died in 1889 at age 5. A statue of her likeness marks the site.
Where Is Bonaventure Cemetery?
Bonaventure Cemetery, 330 Bonaventure Road, Savannah, Ga. 31404
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Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira, N.Y.
Not many may be aware that Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, did some of his best writing in upstate New York, home to his wife’s family. Working in a home office gazebo of sorts at his sister-in-law’s place, Twain spent some quality time in Elmira. The gazebo/study is now at Elmira College, and Twain is buried with other family members in Woodlawn Cemetery.
What to Look For
John W. Jones, a former slave and a man who was active in the Underground Railroad, is buried here as well. Jones also buried thousands of soldiers who died at the Elmira Prison Camp. His home, relocated across from the cemetery, is now a museum.
Where Is Woodlawn Cemetery?
Woodlawn Cemetery, 1200 Walnut Street, Elmira, N.Y. 14905
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St. Matthew’s Episcopal Churchyard, Bedford, N.Y.
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church was consecrated in Bedford in 1810, and its churchyard is full of notables including Walter Rosen, the former owner of nearby Caramoor.
What to Look For
Old gravestones, cemetery art in the shape of various animals, and headstones that read like an individual’s résumé can all be found at this churchyard cemetery.
Where Is St. Matthew’s Episcopal Churchyard?
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Churchyard, 382 Cantitoe Street, Bedford, N.Y. 10506
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Woodstock Cemetery, Woodstock, N.Y.
Known largely for a big concert that was not, in fact, held there, Woodstock, N.Y. today is a charming town full of artisans and hippie types.
What to Look For
Cemetery cruising would not normally be on my agenda for a daytrip to a place like this, but musician Levon Helm happens to be buried here.
Where Is Woodstock Cemetery?
Woodstock Cemetery, Rock City Road, Woodstock, N.Y.
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Cementerio Municipal, Isla Mujeres, Mexico
I love that certain cultures do not treat their dead with the somberness that my own does. This cemetery on the island known as Isla Mujeres, not far from Cancun, is festive. We all die one day; why not celebrate lives well lived?
What to Look For
Just take in the color of this place, made brighter with candles, flowers, and other decorations.
Where Is Cementerio Municipal?
Cementerio Municipal, Av. Adolfo López Mateos, Isla Mujeres, Mexico
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The Old Burying Point, Salem, Mass.
Some main characters during those years when witches presented a real problem to Salem, Mass. can be found in this small and old graveyard (the pursuit of witches largely took place in 1692).
What to Look For
Notable presences include Captain Richard More, a passenger on the Mayflower, and Justice John Hathorne, who served during the witch trials (and who is related to author Nathaniel Hawthorne, who pointedly added a w to his name), and Mary Corey, the first wife of Giles Corey (Giles was pressed to death for being a witch), and Nathanael Mather, a brother of Cotton Mather, the fire-and-brimstone preacher who stirred up sentiment against witches).
Where Is the Old Burying Point?
Old Burying Point, 51 Charter Street, Salem, Mass. 01970
13. Isola di San Michele (Cemetery Island) in the Venetian Lagoon, Italy
This walled island in the Venetian lagoon, between Piazza San Marco and Murano, was once a prison but now hosts the dead. Visitors can take a vaporetto there. Just don’t miss the last one departing the island!
What to Look For
This is very much an active cemetery. Notables here include Igor Stravinsky, Ezra Pound, and Sergei Diaghilev.
Where Is Isola di San Michele?
—Lori Tripoli
Great list, photos… and I love the map idea. Graveyards are disappearing in many countries and they can be so interesting! This is my favorite because I have two wonderful coonhounds: http://www.coondogcemetery.com/
Thanks for sharing that info. about the coon dog cemetery–very interesting! I have actually never been to a pet cemetery, and I am pretty sure there is one not too far from me. Maybe one of these days! -Lori
Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis would be a worthy addition to this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Hill_Cemetery
Among its more than 200,000 graves… “Benjamin Harrison, twenty-third president of the United States, and Vice Presidents Charles W. Fairbanks, Thomas A. Hendricks, and Thomas R. Marshall are buried at Crown Hill. Infamous bank robber and “Public Enemy #1” John Dillinger is another internee. The gravesite of Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley overlooks the city from “The Crown”….
Bad guys, good guys, and poets! Looks like I’m going to have to go on a cross-country cemetery tour. Thanks for this suggestion, Debbra! -Lori