Alta Vista - Gainesville Georgia

The "high view" from Alta Vista always offers some interesting photo opps.

Alta Vista

Weather Channel's List of Must-See Historic Cemeteries

Just in time for Halloween, the Weather Channel published their list of 15 of the most historic cemeteries in the US. I'd say they are pretty much spot on here. Oakland in Atlanta, Mt Auburn in Boston, St. Louis in New Orleans, Bonaventure in Savannah, Green-Wood in Brooklyn, and others.  I will have to add Fort Rosencrans National Cemetery in San Diego to my own list for a future visit..
15 Must-See Historic Cemeteries Across the U.S.

Winterville Cemetery - Winterville Georgia

Winterville is a small town just east of Athens. The Winterville Cemetery sits just outside town, surrounded by woods and hay fields.

Queen of Heaven

Architecutural photographer John Faier spent seven years photographing large community mausoleums in the Chicago area that were built in the 50's and 60's. Wired magazine recently ran a story about his project titled Hotels for the Dead: Mausoleums Reveal Spectral Light and Kitsch Decor. His own website includes many of the photos as well: Queen of Heaven. His project is much more focused than mine here. This focus helps make it even clearer how the art, architecture and design of our burying spaces reflect the broader culture of their times.

Madison Cemeteries - Madison, Georgia

At least four cemeteries are encompassed in the Madison Cemeteries property. The oldest is Old Cemetery, where the earliest known burial is from 1811. Additional parcels were added over the years: Westview in 1880, Fairview in 1904, and Madison Memorial in 1958. You can see the progression of cemetery architecture and design styles over the years in these different areas. There are also two Confederate re-interment sites on each side of the railroad tracks that bisect the property.

Confederate Section

Unknowns

Old Cemetery

Saint Paul's Church Graveyard - Norfolk, Virginia

The final resting place for 24 Revolutionary War, and 22 War of 1812, veterans, the graveyard that surrounds St Paul's Episcopal Church may contain graves dating back to before the current church building was erected in 1739. It is a beautiful and historic church and the graves of many of Norfolks founders can be found under in the dark tree canopy and along the brick wall that surrounds the property.

 

John Andrew Gravesite - Bishop, Georgia

The gravesite of John Andrew; Revolutionary War Veteran, Methodist Minister and member of the Georgia Assembly; is identified with a Georgia Historical Marker on the Macon Highway south of Bishop. In the early 1800's the Mt Zion Methodist church and community occupied this site, but now it sits on private property.

John Andrew gravesite, Oconee County

Toronto Necropolis - Toronto, Ontario

The Toronto Necropolis dates back to 1850 when it opened to replace the Strangers' Burying Ground, and early Potter's Field. Located near the east end of the Cabbagetown neighborhood in Toronto it sits on a bluff above the Don River Valley.

Family Cemetery, Currituck County, NC

Family cemetery on Caratoke Highway, NC

I came across this family plot while driving down US 158 on the way to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It's neatly and lovingly maintained, and sits right in the middle of a large soybean field.

Brooklyn and Queens from the Air

Flying into LaGuardia Airport from the southwest takes you over a dozen cemeteries, providing an entirely different perspective on these green spaces. Here are four I saw from the right side of the plane. I discovered afterwards that I probably would have had a great view of Green-Wood off the left side of the plane.

Washington Cemetery, Brooklyn

Cemetery of the Holy Cross, Brooklyn

Linden Hill Cemetery, Queens

Mt. Zion Cemetery, Queens

You can see how full these cemeteries are. This article from the NY Times in 2010 discusses how all the major cemeteries in New York City are either completely full or rapidly approaching their capacity:  City Cemeteries Face Gridlock.